


The Rose Clan: The Story Of Betrayal and Deception

by Batteryafter



Category: B.A.P, Kpop - Fandom, Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Death, Hashtag sorry not sorry, Multi, Murder, Violent, killers, mob, multifandom - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2018-10-16 14:38:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10573332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Batteryafter/pseuds/Batteryafter
Summary: In the world with no policing, the most popular mob, The Rose Clan, clears Seoul of violence. They experience tension when money starts to go missing from their earnings. The leader keeps on eye out but it's hard to tell who is stealing with everyone turning their backs on each other. Who are the good guys and who is bad?





	1. Begin

“Don't worry, it's all fun and games.” Jongup says, throwing all his chips down on the poker table. 

“Don't worry?” Minhyuk yells at him. “Wonho is missing!” He smacks the cards out of Jongup’s hands. “What are you going to do about it?”

Jongup sighs and stands up, grabbing Minhyuk by his jacket. He pulls him close and glares at him. Minhyuk places his hand on Jongup’s wrist, pushing it down. They stare in silence for another few seconds before Jongup leaves. Minhyuk’s eyes follow him out the door as he leans over the table. He thinks for a few moments before storming out after Jongup. Jongup is standing in the hall, leaning against the door, playing with a poker chip. 

“You really shouldn’t trust some of us.” Jongup says, throwing the chip to Minhyuk. 

Wonho sits on the floor of the room he is locked in, hands tied together and blood on his forehead. He hears talking so he slowly gets up, walking to look. There is a small window but he doesn’t immediately look out. The voices seem quiet but familiar. Wonho finally looks out to see Himchan and Daehyun talking about 30 feet away. He stares, hoping they are here to help him out. As he goes to get a closer look, his handcuff hits the door, making a loud noise. Daehyun’s head snaps to look at him and Wonho’s heart stops. He watches as Daehyun walks to the door, keeping his gaze locked on him. 

As Daehyun gets closer, Wonho stares back. He looks down to see Daehyun holding a large knife and he backs away from the door. Daehyun looks through the window at Wonho. He starts to open the door and is stopped midway by Himchan. Wonho falls backwards in fear, scooting to the opposite wall. Himchan takes the knife and walks to Wonho. He leans down to him and smiles, punching Wonho in the mouth. Himchan gears up to strike, as Wonho completely backs himself in the corner. The knife flies down, striking Wonho in the stomach. For the second strike, Daehyun quickly grabs the blade, making his hand bleed. 

Wonho kicks Himchan in the stomach, knocking him back on the ground. He stands up and runs out of the room, looking for an exit. Daehyun lets the knife go, grabbing it properly and running after Wonho. Wonho rounds the corner just as Daehyun comes outside. He throws his hands up, throwing the knife down and punching the wall with his already wounded hand. Wonho runs down an alley, colliding with a hooded man. He quickly gets up and begins to run away again. 

“Wonho?” Kihyun yells out. “Wait! Who did this to you?”

Wonho stops, running back. “We need to go. I’ll explain later.” 

“I have something I need to do. But here take my car.” He hands Wonho his keys. 

Wonho doesn’t hesitate, taking the keys and running to the main road. He finds the car, gets in and quickly starts it, speeding away.

A few days before, Daehyun is sitting in a room. Hyungwon looks over at him with a pained look on his face. Daehyun places an envelope on the table, while grabbing at his hair. He opens the envelope as Hyungwon glares at it. His hands shake, as he pulls the documents out. He puts his head down and starts to cry. 

“What do I do?” Tears drip on the papers. “I can’t do this.” 

“The documents must be fake. There is no possible way Wonho stole that money.” Hyungwon stares at his hands. 

Daehyun starts to shake. “They said it was the boss’ orders. We have to do it.”

“My name isn’t on them. Get someone else to do it. I won't let it happen easily though.” 

“Please, don’t tell anyone.” He signs the agreement paper. “I’ll figure it out on my own.”

Hyungwon looks at Daehyun, who is shaking badly. He looks back down at his hands and then picks up the documents. The order signature doesn't look quite right but he knows he has seen it before. Daehyun pours himself a shot, downs it and repeats several more times. On the tenth shot, Hyungwon gets up and takes the bottle away. Daehyun throws the shot glass at Hyungwon’s head, missing, as it shatters on the wall. He gets up, walking out to the main room, leaving the documents behind. Hyungwon puts the bottle down and starts to put the papers away, sliding the envelope under the couch. 

He walks out to see everyone in their respective spots. Everyone playing games like darts and poker. The room is loud with conversation and the air filled with cigarette smoke. Yongguk, the boss, sits at a table with Jooheon as they count money. $5,000 per killing, 13 killings a week on average. After they count, Yongguk slams his hand on the table, making everyone quiet and look at him. 

“Another goddamn week of missing money.” Yongguk get’s quiet. “If I find out it’s one of you, you’re all dead. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir” Rings through the room as everyone quietly goes back to what they were doing. 

Jooheon packs the money into a duffle bag and begins to leave. Yongguk keeps a close eye on him, as he walks through the door. The safe is inside the boss’ office, underneath his desk. Without a second thought, Jooheon puts the pin in and throws the money inside before quickly leaving. As he gets back he catches Yongguk scanning him up and down. He walks up to Yongguk and spreads his arms. He pats him down before shooing him away.

Zelo cleans his gun, placing each piece neatly on the table. Shownu watches as he plays with a bottle of blue liquid. A bottle of poison and a few empty bottles lay in front of him. Zelo starts to reassemble the gun as Shownu grabs a dropper and an empty bottle. He fills the bottle half ways with poison and the other half with the blue liquid. He coughs at the potency of the cocktail but continues to fill the other bottles as well. When he is finished, he sets them inside a suitcase with straps to hold the bottles perfectly. Zelo puts his gun in a holster, sitting on his hip. 

“Does this really work?” Zelo asks, pointing to the bottles. 

“Drink it and find out.” Shownu replies in monotone. 

Before Zelo responds, the main door flies open. Youngjae rushes in, breathing heavy and bleeding from his head. Everyone watches as he slams the door shut behind him, locking all the deadbolts. He starts to walk towards Changkyun, collapsing when he reaches him. A few of the boys get up and rush to him, including Yongguk. Youngjae continues to cling to Changkyun’s jacket while being lifted into a chair. 

“What did you do?” Youngjae asks Changkyun, pulling him closer. 

Everyone looks over to Changkyun and waits for his answer. “What are you talking about?” 

“I was chased out of my mission. They jumped me in the alley before throwing this at me.” 

Youngjae takes out a bloody business card with the Rose Clan symbol on it. Yongguk takes it and turns it over. The back has Changkyun’s thumbprint on it. The print is used to identify each other after a job. Basically a way to know who to pay. The cash wads would have the business card tucked into the binding. Changkyun pulls away from Youngjae and backs off, grabbing the money from Youngjae’s pocket and leaving. Everyone watches him walk through the door, towards the dorms. Youngjae tries to run after him but stumbles, coughing and spitting blood out. 

Himchan starts to run after him but Yongguk stops him. Everyone slowly starts to go back to what they were doing. Minhyuk keeps a close eye on Youngjae, who is cleaning his wounds with a cloth. The mood is a bit tense for the rest of the night. Daehyun sits at the bar, closely watching Wonho study an assignment. He looks up at Daehyun and nods to him before signing the paper. 

“Hey, Wonho. Can you come here for a second?” Daehyun asks, making Hyungwon look over quickly. 

Wonho stands up and walks over to Daehyun. “What’s up?” 

“Here have a drink.” 

Wonho takes the drink and slides on to the stool beside Daehyun. Hyungwon gets up and walks out of the bar and into the street. He walks to his car, sighing before getting inside. Before starting the car he quickly gets his phone out to send a text. Wonho’s phone goes off and his blood runs cold when he reads the message. 

It’s poisoned. Don’t drink it.

“Daehyun?” Wonho looks at him. “What is this?” He hold the glass up. 

“Just something to relax you. You’ve been stressing about your new assignment.” Daehyun doesn’t look at him.

Wonho sets the drink on the bar, walking back to the table he sat at previously. He gathers his paperwork and walks to Yongguk. Yongguk takes the papers from him and checks to see if he signed. Wonho grabs his keys from the table and leaves without saying a word. Hyungwon is still sitting in front of the bar when Wonho walks out. He watches as he walks to his car across the street, getting in and speeding off. Hyungwon pulls out and follows closely behind. 

Minhyuk throws his cards down and stares at Jongup, who looks up slightly. He looks around and sets his cards down as well, leaning forward.

“What is going on here?” Minhyuk asks quietly. 

“Seems like there is a bit of tension. I wouldn’t worry about it, just stay close to your partner.” Jongup smirks. 

Jongup leans back and grabs his cards again, looking around the room. Minhyuk sighs, picking the cards up and setting them faceup. The two stare at the cards before Jongup throws his hand down in frustration. He throws more chips in the middle before lighting a cigarette. Zelo reaches over and takes it out of his hands and hands it to the boss. Jongup turns to hit Zelo before seeing Yongguk hold the cigarette in his lips. He quickly takes a new one out of his pack, lighting it and apologizing. 

Wonho pulls into the warehouse parking lot, getting out and walking to the side entrance. Hyungwon pulls in behind his car and runs out after him. As soon as he reaches the door, a bag is thrown over his head and he is pulled back into the shadows. Wonho hears a noise, snapping his head towards the door. He locks the it and walks to one of the various crates thrown around the room. As he opens the crate, there are footsteps behind him. He pulls his gun out and quickly turns around but there is no one. 

He turns back around and takes a backpack out of the crate, opening it and filling it with various things. A bang is heard to his left, making him look quickly, pointing his gun in that direction. Someone comes behind him and hits him in the head with the butt of their gun. He falls to the ground and a small stream of blood runs into his eye. The person hits him again, making him black out. 

Kihyun walks into the alley, zipping his hoodie. He sees Daehyun looking around frantically, back to him. Sneaking up to Daehyun, he places a gun to his head. Daehyun freezes and widens his eyes, placing his hands up in surrender. Tears begin to form in both of their eyes. Kihyun sniffles and wipes his nose with his sleeve. He pushes the gun into Daehyun’s head, making him walk forward. 

Himchan walks out the front entrance of the warehouse, over to his car. He speeds off back to the bar. When he walks in, everyone is either back in the dorm or passed out at the table. He walks behind the bar and pours himself a drink. Zelo wakes up and looks around before getting up and walking to Himchan. 

“Hey, it’s too late to drink.” Zelo walks out towards the dorm. 

The dorms hold 4 beds each and there 3 of them. Yongguk has his own room on a different floor. Zelo walks into the last room and crawls into an empty bed. After a few minutes, Himchan comes in and lays in the bed opposite him. In the first room, Changkyun sits against the wall, playing with a zippo. He lights it to see Youngjae, Minkhyuk, and Jongup on the other beds. They all look peaceful, which makes Changkyun shiver. He loudly closes the lid to the zippo and lays down to go to sleep. 

Jooheon wakes in the middle of the night to find the room empty. He gets up to look out in the bar to see if anyone was there. The bar is cold and dark but when Jooheon turns the light on, he is shocked by what he sees. Wonho stands in the middle of the room, shaking and staring at the wall. He looks over to Jooheon, before collapsing into the ground and puking up blood. Jooheon runs to him, pulling him into his chest. More blood pours out of Wonho’s mouth onto Jooheon’s shirt. 

Jooheon panics and props Wonho against a table. He gets up and runs upstairs to Yongguk’s room, bursting through the door. Yongguk jumps awake, taking a gun from his nightstand and pointing it at the door. Jooheon yells and pulls him out of the bed. Yongguk follows him quickly but when they get downstairs, Wonho is laying in the hallway with a blood trail behind him. They run over to him and pick him up, taking him into the bar again. 

Kihyun pushes Daehyun into the wall of the warehouse, gun still against his head. Daehyun is trembling and drops to his knees in fear. He begs for his life, now crying hard. They walk to Daehyun’s car, Kihyun getting in the driver’s seat. 

“Please.” Daehyun cries. “I didn't do anything.” 

Hyungwon wakes up in a dark room, hands zip-tied behind him and a pain coming from his side. He immediately panics, screaming for help. There is no response, so he tries to crawl to a wall to stand himself up. There isn’t window to let light in, but he tries to feel for a door. His body finally brushes against a deadbolt. He tries to open it, failing and falling back onto the ground. The door suddenly flies open and a man kicks Hyungwon out of the way. The man leans down to Hyungwon, who stays leaning against the wall. He looks at the man and headbutts him. He stumbles back and Hyungwon gets up,running out of the room, stopping to kick the man in the stomach. His body trembles as he breaks the cuffs on a broken piece of scrap metal. He notices he is still at the warehouse so he runs for his car in the front. Wonho’s car is sitting in the same spot, but he continues into his car, starting it and driving back to the bar.

He hesitates to open the door, resting his hand on it instead. There are voices coming through the door. They sound urgent and panicked but he still doesn't go through at first, listening in. Jooheon throws the door open and Hyungwon falls backwards on the floor. They stare at each other until Hyungwon notices Jooheon is covered in blood. Jooheon runs past him as he slowly stands himself up. He slowly walks into the room. Yongguk is leaning over Wonho, applying pressure to his stomach. There are piles of bloody paper towels around them. 

Hyungwon gasps and tries to run over to them. He reaches Wonho’s feet, collapsing, feeling a shock in his side. Yongguk curses to himself and yells out for help. No one can hear through the soundproof walls. Hyungwon reaches for Wonho but stops due to pain.

“Hyungwon? What happened?” Yongguk shakes him. 

“I-” Hyungwon gurgles before coughing up blood. “Help.”

Jooheon comes back in with a first aid kit and stops to look at Hyungwon. Yongguk yells at him to help Hyungwon. Jooheon runs to Hyungwon, turning him in his back. He sees the wound on his side and starts to apply pressure to it. Blood pours from it and Jooheon starts to panic. Hyungwon yells in pain and pushes Jooheon off him. He crawls to Wonho’s side, leaning on his shoulder and breathing heavily. 

Wonho opens his eyes, looking around before gasping for air. He lets out a sickeningly wet cough while reaching for Yongguk’s hand. Wonho is shaking too much and his hand falls back down to his side. He looks over at Hyungwon, meeting eyes with him. 

“I'm sorry.” Wonho whispers, with tears in his eyes.

“Hyung.” Hyungwon grabs Wonho’s hand. 

They both close their eyes. Hyungwon yells out as Jooheon puts pressure on his wound again. Wonho goes pale and slumps down. Yongguk yells out, pushing harder on the stab wound. He looks up at Wonho, whose head is down. Blood is dripping from his open mouth. Shaking, Yongguk places his fingers on Wonho’s neck, checking for a pulse. Jooheon stares quietly, with tears running down his face. Yongguk pulls away, throwing the bloody towel on the floor. 

“Please.” Jooheon’s voice cracks. “Please don't give up.” 

“Then bandage Hyungwon and help me!” Yongguk yells. 

They lay Wonho on his back, ripping his shirt open. Jooheon tries to clear some blood from Wonho’s mouth and nose. Yongguk begins CPR while Jooheon puts pressure on the stab wound so it doesn’t bleed more. They scream at Wonho, trying to wake him up. Hyungwon stirs awake, trying to stand up. He slips in the blood, falling back down and hitting his head on the floor.

In the other room, Daehyun stands with his face to the door. Kihyun still holds his gun to his head. They listen to the struggle in the next room but don’t move. Daehyun shakes his head in disbelief. 

“We have to help them.” Daehyun cries. 

“Shut up.” Kihyun whispers. “You did this to him.”

Wonho gasps loudly, coughing and twitching. He grabs for Hyungwon’s arm and holds onto it weakly. Yongguk and Jooheon sigh of relief and become hysteric. Before they can say anything, there is a loud gunshot in the next room. They jump and Yongguk stands to look at the door. He slowly walks over but by the time he opens the door the room is empty. Blood is splattered on the wall and floor and the door to outside is wide open. Yongguk sighs and turn to walk back into the bar, wiping the sweat from his forehead.


	2. Revenge Isn't Sweet

Hyungwon hears beeping around him but he doesn’t immediately open his eyes. There are multiple voices around him, both familiar and not. He opens his eyes when a cold hand turns his arm over. A nurse holds his arm out to check his blood pressure. He pulls back and looks around at everyone. 

“Wonho.” Hyungwon looks around frantic. 

“He’s right down the hall.” Yongguk sighs.

The nurse checks the BP and writes it on the chart before leaving. Hyungwon stares at Yongguk, then at his IV. His other hand rests on his bandages, under his hospital shirt. Minhyuk sets a bouquet of flowers down on the windowsill. After an hour of small talk, the group it escorted out. Yongguk hesitates for a few seconds before walking out. 

After Hyungwon’s last nurse check, he takes his IV out and sits up. The pain in his side almost makes him pass out. His vision is blurred due to the pain meds but he walks out to the hallway. No doctors or nurses are around for the midnight shift on this floor. A tiny stream of blood goes down his arm, from the IV not being taken out properly, as he carefully walks to Wonho’s room. 

Wonho lays peacefully in his bed, wires and tubes connected all over his body. There is a machine breathing for him. Hyungwon walks to Wonho’s side and starts to cry. A rush goes to Hyungwon’s head, making him collapse to the floor. 

“Hyungwon? Shit. Get a nurse!” Zelo yells to Shownu. 

A nurse comes in and turns him on his back. Blood soaked through his bandage and stained his shirt. Zelo freaks out and paces around the room while Shownu tries to calm him down. The two watch as two nurses put Hyungwon on a gurney and wheel him out. Zelo stares at the door, still shocked at the situation. 

“Should we tell the boss?” Zelo asks Shownu. 

“No, it never happened.” Shownu turns and walks to Wonho’s side. 

Minhyuk and Jongup sit at the poker table but aren’t playing cards. Jongup fidgets with a poker chip, staring in space. Minhyuk gets his gun out and sets it heavily on the table. He also gets a dagger out from his boot. Jongup’s focus is now on the weapons. 

“Planning something?” Jongup smiles.

“Missions seem pointless to me right now. Two in the hospital and two missing for a week.” Minhyuk shakes his head in disbelief. 

“They got themselves in trouble, they paid the price. As for Kihyun and Daehyun, they could be anywhere. Probably dead.” 

Changkyun sits on his bed, playing with the zippo again. He lights it and plays with the flame. Youngjae walks in and says nothing. He has an assignment tucked under his arm as he opens his dresser. Changkyun gets up and walks over, taking the assignment. He reads it and signs on his line, placing it on the dresser. Youngjae gets dressed in all black to hide any blood. He signs the paper and walks out as Changkyun starts to change. 

Youngjae waits for Changkyun in his car. He lights a cigarette and sighs, looking at the assignment details again. It’s a simple one, but there are going to be a lot of people. Changkyun opens the passenger side door, getting in. Youngjae speeds off before he can put the seatbelt on. The car ride is quiet as both of them are lost in thought. Youngjae worries about doing a mission with Changkyun after the attack. 

Jooheon is asleep in a chair next to Wonho’s hospital bed. Yongguk wakes him up by throwing a bag of chips and a bottle of water on his lap. He looks around, stretching and opening the chips. Yongguk sighs, kicking Jooheon off the chair so he can sit. 

“Youngjae and I.M. went on their mission.” Jooheon looks at his phone. 

“Make sure they both come back alive.” Yongguk stuffs a snack cake into his mouth. 

Jooheon nods and leaves, leaving Yongguk alone with Wonho. Yongguk gets his phone out and checks for messages. He frowns at the lack of communication coming from the boys. His mind flashes back to the gunshot heard days earlier. Did someone break in? Who did they kill? Yongguk then remembers that Daehyun and Kihyun are both missing. He quickly gets up and leaves for the bar. 

When he arrives, everyone is sitting quietly, Minhyuk and Jongup just sitting at the poker table. The air makes Yongguk shiver as he walks to the back room. He opens it to see the blood splatters dried deep into the carpet. His heart races as he walks in. He looks around carefully, walking to the couch and sitting down. There is something sticking out from the cushion. When he pulls it out, it’s a folder that looks like an assignment. He opens it and reads, not believing what’s written. 

In faded ink, it’s an order to have Wonho killed for stealing money. Yongguk quickly searches for an order signature. He gets angry seeing an obvious forged signature. His eyes fall down to the accepted signature, feeling his stomach drop. 

“Daehyun. What did you do?” He whispers to himself. 

Jongup sighs and gets up, walking to the bar. Minhyuk stares over at him as he makes a quick cocktail and walks back. He looks over at Shownu, who is shaking his leg nervously. Zelo stares at the wall, with his arms crossed. No one speaks to each other. The only noise is the air conditioning kicking on and off. 

Yongguk walks out of the back room, folder tucked securely under his arm. Everyone watches as he walks across the bar. He throws the folder on the counter as he pours himself a strong drink. His anger is obvious as his fingers bend the corner of the folder. 

“Jongup. Come here.” Yongguk says just loud enough to hear. 

“Yes, sir.” Jongup rushes to his side. 

“Take this.” He holds the folder up and whispers. “Find Daehyun. Don’t let anyone else know. Not even Minhyuk.” 

Jongup takes the file slowly, turning to look at Minhyuk, who is staring at him. He slips the file in this jacket and walks towards the dorms. Yongguk sighs, finishing the rest of his drink. Minhyuk stands up and walks to the dorm behind Jongup. He is careful to not be heard. Jongup slides into the room, locking the door behind him. He takes the folder out from his jacket and sets it on the bed. 

Minhyuk peaks through the keyhole, barely seeing Jongup’s legs. Jongup flips the folder open and reads it. He is shocked and filled with anger. Minhyuk sees him walk to the dresser and start to get dressed, making Minhyuk pull away. Jongup changes into an all black outfit, slipping the folder in his new jacket. When he opens the door, Minhyuk stumbles back. They stare silently for a minute before Jongup leaves. 

Hyungwon wakes up in pain. His vision is blurry but he sees a familiar shape of a person in front of him. Kihyun rushes to Hyungwon’s side. There is dried blood on Kihyun’s face and hands. He smiles as Hyungwon tries to sit up. 

“Easy, easy. Don’t hurt yourself.” Kihyun tries to help.

“Kihyun? Are you okay?” Hyungwon asks, staring at the crusted blood. “What happened?”

“You’re the one in the hospital with a mysterious stab wound.” Kihyun smiles. “Don’t worry about me.” 

Kihyun starts to tear up as he sees his friend in the hospital. Hyungwon scoffs, trying to sit up again, succeeding. He begins to stand up, groaning in pain. Kihyun tries to stop him but he pushes him back. Hyungwon slowly starts to walk out of the room. Kihyun follows him to Wonho’s room. 

Yongguk is sitting in the chair. He looks up to see Hyungwon hobbling into the room. He gets up and rushes over to Hyungwon, helping him into the chair. Kihyun rushes in behind him and helps as well. 

“Hyungwon, what the hell are you doing up?” Yongguk yells at him.

“I needed to see Wonho.” Hyungwon gasps in pain. “How is he?” 

“He woke up early this morning but that’s about it. I’ll also kick your ass if you get out of bed one more time.” 

Hyungwon nods in understanding and stares over at Wonho. Wonho’s eyes flicker making Hyungwon stand up quickly and drop down in pain. Yongguk and Kihyun quickly grab him and pull him back into the chair. They all watch as Wonho attempts to open his eyes. 

Youngjae parks the car in a dark parking lot. He and Changkyun sit quietly, watches a group of men talking across the street. The men walk into a building and the two get out of the car. They quietly but quickly walk over to the building. Standing outside, they draw their guns, cocking them and setting them to their sides. They throw the door open and run in, opening fire on everyone they see. The men pulls guns out but are too slow. Everyone is down in a matter of seconds. Youngjae walks over to a table, placing his business card on it and leaving. Changkyun follows suit. 

Jongup walks over to his car and gets in. He opens the file and smiles to himself. His eyes glaze over the contents and stare at the signature. He thinks back to when he signed in, slipping it in front of Daehyun. Daehyun picked it up like a regular assignment, none the wiser. Jongup starts his car and drives off while laughing to himself. 

“Ah, Daehyun. You failed the mission.” Jongup says to himself. 

Kihyun pulls a bloody body bag into the warehouse. The bag moves as the body inside tries to get free. Kihyun stops, dropping the bag and kicking it hard. Blood starts to blood around it slightly. He unzips it and Daehyun gasps for air. He tries to crawl away but Kihyun grabs his throat and starts to choke him. Daehyun tries to weakly fight back. Kihyun’s hands are covered in blood, making them slip. 

“Why can’t you just die?” Kihyun screams. 

“Please, I’m sorry.” Daehyun gasps. 

Daehyun tries to wipe blood from his face, smearing more onto it instead. He coughs and spits blood on the floor. Kihyun walks away to get his gun. As he comes back, Daehyun draws his and shoots Kihyun in the leg. Kihyun screams and drops in pain. The two lay in their own blood writhing in pain. 

Yongguk pours himself another drink, drinking it all immediately. Shownu watches him drink himself into a stupor. 

“Sir, don’t you think you should slow down?” Shownu asks in concern. 

Yongguk pulls Shownu down to his face. “Don’t tell me what to do.” 

“It’s was just a suggestion. Sorry, sir.” 

“Go stay with Wonho. Tell Zelo to stay with Hyungwon. I don’t want to see your face anymore tonight.” 

Shownu turns and walks over to Zelo. He relay the message and they both leave quietly. Minhyuk walks into the dorm room. He sits on his bed and stares at the opposite wall. A fit of rage fills him, making him punch the wall and scream. He throws his gun on his night stand and lays in the bed. Tears of frustration form in his eyes.

Zelo walks into Hyungwon’s room. Hyungwon is watching TV while picking at the medical tape on his bandages. He jumps when he sees Zelo but greets him politely. They talk for a little bit while Shownu sits in Wonho’s room, watching him silently. He doesn’t look away from him once. Every Wonho twitches, he stands up in hopes that he is waking up. Zelo gets a deck of cards out and he and Hyungwon play poker. They bet things around the room. 

Hyungwon and Zelo’s fun and games are cut short when another bed is rolled in with a patient. The nurses set the woman up to a monitor, leaving her chart hanging on the end of the bed. The pair look over at her before quietly returning to their card game. 

“I bet the woman in trauma room 3.” Hyungwon jokes. 

“Shh! What if she can hear?” Zelo whispers. “Bet.”

Shownu falls asleep in the chair but is woken up by the nurses wheeling in a new patient into the room. It’s a man with serious wounds to his head. He is just barely Shownu jumps up when he realises he recognizes who it is. 

“Daehyun?” He yells out.


	3. Mistake

Yongguk gets up from the bar and walks out to his office. He staggers over to the desk, opening the safe at his feet. A stack of money falls out, making him sigh. He bends down to get it and places it on the desk. Lighting a cigarette, he flicks the lighter a few times. His fingers flip through the money stack. The flame sputter as he takes a few bills out of the binding. 

He slowly brings two bills up to the flames and burns them. Watching the money burn, his mouth twitch. He doesn’t flinch as the flames near his fingers. His fingers heat up quickly, making him drop what’s left of the money on the floor. 

Shownu rushes to Deahyun’s bed. His head is heavily bandaged and he is breathing with a machine as well. Shownu grabs his hair and runs out to Hyungwon’s room. Zelo hears Shownu rush in. Hyungwon and Zelo look over at him panting. 

“You’ll never guess who’s here.” Shownu says, breathing hard. 

“Who?” The two ask simultaneously.

“Come see for yourselves.” 

Shownu walks out as the two start to get up. Hyungwon strains as grabs his IV stand. Zelo helps him out to the hallway. They slowly walk over to Shownu, who is standing outside Wonho’s room. When they walk in they are shocked at who they see. Daehyun lays motionless in the bed. Hyungwon walks over to him, placing a hand on his arm. 

Youngjae and Changkyun walk back into the bar. They see Yongguk sitting at a table with his head down. They slowly walk over to him, careful not to scare him.

“Boss?” Changkyun whispers. “Boss? Are you okay?”

He pulls his head up and stares at Changkyun, then at Youngjae. “Leave me alone, boys.” 

The two stare for a few more seconds with concern before leaving Yongguk alone. They walk to the dorm to see Minhyuk sleeping in his bed but Jongup is missing. They shrug it off and change their clothes. The two debate going to the bar before deciding on the lounge. 

When the two walk in, they almost yell from shock at the blood splattered everywhere. They stare in horror before Changkyun walks in fully. He leans down to get a better look. The blood is dried deep into the carpet now. Youngjae slowly walks around the blood over to the couch on the other side of the room. He sits and stares with his mouth open. 

Jongup pulls his car in front of the warehouse. Wonho’s car sits vacantly beside his. He gets out and walks to the front. There is a voice through the door, so he decides to use the side door. He stays close to the wall as he looks to see who is there. Kihyun is hovering over a body bag, back to Jongup.

“Why the hell did you try to kill Wonho?” Kihyun yells, kicking Daehyun.

Jongup sneaks behind Kihyun and throws a bag over his head, pulling him back. He ties his hands behind his back and sets him on the ground. Daehyun gasps and tries to get away, almost passing out from pain. He slips in his blood, looking up as Jongup beats Kihyun with a pipe. Jongup walks over and leans in front on Daehyun. 

“You really failed my mission, huh buddy?” Jongup smirks, looking around at the blood. “Let’s get you fixed up.”

Kihyun gets up and starts to stumble away. Jongup starts after him but is slowed by Deahyun grabbing his ankle. Kihyun slips out of his binding and pulls the bag from his head. Jongup gets back up and punches Kihyun in the face. As Jongup runs for the pipe again, Kihyun runs out of the warehouse. He runs to Wonho’s car and prays the keys are in the ignition. 

He gets in and the keys sit on the seat. Jongup rushes out as Kihyun pulls away from the warehouse. He throws the pipe, busting the windshield. Kihyun jumps and speeds away, watching behind him to see if Jongup follows him. Jongup shakes his head and walks back inm over to Daehyun. He gets his phone out and calls an ambulance. While waiting, he hides the body bag in the back room and tries to clean Daehyun up with a rag.

Shownu and Kihyun walk over beside Hyungwon and sit him in a chair. They all stare at Daehyun. Kihyun looks around before quickly walking out. He pulls his hair and takes a few deep breaths. Hyungwon and Shownu hear a crash outside the room and people yelling. They get up and run to see Kihyun passed out on the ground. A nurse and the boys prop him against the wall. He wakes up and the two stare as the nurse gets a wheelchair. 

“Where’s Jongup?” Kihyun asks as they place him in the chair. 

“He’s at the bar. Why?” Shownu gets confused. “Are you okay?” 

“I need to go back to the dorms.” He wipes sweat from his forehead. “Can you take me?”

Shownu says yes and the two leave. Hyungwon walks back into Wonho’s room, sitting between Wonho and Daehyun. His eyes water as he looks at both of them. He throws himself up and screams, tearing his bandages off. Nurses rush is as he rips his stitches out. Blood pools onto his gown as he’s restrained. They rush to find a shot to sedate him as he kicks and continues screaming. He kicks free and runs down the hall. Grabbing his things, he rushes out of the hospital. 

Daehyun is rushed into the hospital, streaks of blood all over his face and body. Jongup rushes behind as they wheel him into emergency surgery. A doctor stops Jongup from following them so he waits at the door, pacing for what seems like years. After an hour, he goes outside to smoke. He gets his phone out and makes a call.

“Boss.” He takes a long drag of his cigarette. “I found them.”

“Alive?” Yongguk asks.

“Barely. Daehyun is in surgery and Kihyun ran away as soon as he saw me.” 

“I’m coming to the hospital. Don’t move.” 

Jongup agrees then hangs up. Within minutes, Yongguk peels into the parking lot and rushes over to Jongup. They walk inside just as two doctors come out from surgery. Yongguk stops him and asks about Daehyun. The doctors ignore them and continue walking down the hall. Jongup walks quietly behind them. As the doctors go outside to the parking lot, Jongup sweeps in front of them. 

“How’s my friend?” Jongup asks politely.

“We’re busy and we can’t answer that yet.” One doctor replies. 

Jongup takes his gun out and points it in the doctor’s face. “How’s my friend?” 

“He’ll need PT but will make a full recovery!”

The doctors put their hands up in fear. Jongup smirks and shoots them both in the head before walking back inside. He stops, turns back around, walking to the bodies. They are hidden behind a car. Yongguk is waiting patiently in the waiting room. He notices the blood on Jongup’s clothes and glares at him. 

“What took you so long?” Yongguk asks him, already knowing the answer.

Jongup says nothing before walking to the elevator. The two walk into Wonho and Daehyun’s room. Hyungwon is being restrained by nurses. He kicks one back into Jongup, making them both fall onto the ground. Yongguk rushes over to him. As soon as Hyungwon sees Yongguk, he stops and grabs him by the shirt. He pulls himself into Yongguk’s chest and cries. Yongguk shushes and tries to calm him as the nurses sedate him. 

Youngjae and Changkyun sit in the room, quietly having a drink. They stare across the room at the blood, completely tranced by it. 

“Should we clean it up?” Youngjae asks.   
“I don’t know. Do you think the boss knows about it?” Changkyun replies. 

The two play with their drinking glasses. They hear people walking into the bar and jars their focus. Shownu and Kihyun walk into the bar, Shownu holding Kihyun up by his arm. He walks him to the dorms, laying him down onto a bed. Changkyun slowly gets up and peaks out the door just as Shownu closes the door to the dorm. He turns back around and sits next to Youngjae. 

He sighs and sits back, putting his hand in his jacket pocket. Youngjae doesn’t pay attention to him. Changkyun pulls out a large wad of cash and throws it on the table. He looks over to Youngjae who is staring at the money. 

“Did you steal that?” Youngjae asks. “Yongguk is going to kill you if he finds out.”

“He won’t find out. If he does, I got it from you.” Changkyun smiles. “Got it?”

Youngjae stares at him then grabs the money. He takes half of it and stuffs it in his jacket pocket. Changkyun scoffs and takes the remaining money. They both agree to not talk about it, going back to their drinks. 

Hyungwon wakes up to a monitor beeping. Yongguk sits beside his bed, staring at him. He gets up and walks over to the side of the bed. Hyungwon tries to sit up and sees his hand is cuffed to the bed. 

“I can’t do this anymore.” Hyungwon croaks. “Please just put me out of my misery.” 

Jongup leans against the wall, next to Daehyun’s bed. He flips a pen between his fingers, watching the heart monitor. Daehyun lays peacefully, an oxygen mask over his face and a bandage around his chest. His eyes twitch like they are trying to open. Jongup closely watches him, completely emotionless. Shownu walks in and stops, looking over at Jongup. He nods and walks over to Wonho. 

“What did you do to Kihyun that he’s afraid of you?” Shownu asks. 

Before Jongup can respond, Zelo walks in, holding drinks from the vending machine. 

“The boss wants to see you.” Zelo says to Jongup before walking to Shownu. 

Jongup kicks himself off the wall and quickly walks out of the room. Zelo looks at Shownu then at Daehyun. He shakes his head before taking a drink of soda. Shownu sits down and sighs, running his hand through his hair. 

Kihyun lays in bed, staring at the wall opposite him. He counts the bricks slowly before closing his eyes and falling asleep. He is woken up by Jooheon walking in. Jooheon meets eyes with him, not expecting to see him. 

“Kihyun? You’re alive?” Jooheon slowly walks over to him. 

“What are you doing in here? This isn’t your room.” Kihyun changes the subject. 

“I was going to borrow a shirt from Shownu.” Jooheon notices Kihyun’s wounds. “What the hell happened to you?” 

“Long story short? Don’t trust anyone anymore.” He rolls over. “Get your shirt and go.” 

Kihyun closes his eyes and falls back asleep. Jooheon stares for a second before finding a shirt and leaving. He walks to his room and changes his shirt, putting his jacket back on and grabbing his gun from his nightstand. Yongguk knocks on the door before walking in. Jooheon bows and hands him the folder that was sitting on his bed. Yongguk checks the signature and nods. 

“Good luck. Complete this and you’ll get a bonus.” Yongguk says, holding a stack of hundreds. 

The two walk out together, leaving the building. Jooheon leaves for his mission while Yongguk heads back to the hospital. He walks into to the waiting room to see Zelo and Shownu pacing. They jump when they see him, quickly running over to him. 

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Yongguk panics. 

“Wonho stopped breathing and bled through his bandages. They rushed him into emergency surgery.” 

“Move.” Yongguk pushes past them. 

“Where are you going?” 

Yongguk doesn’t respond, walking to the elevator and quickly goes up to Wonho’s room. He bursts through the door to see Wonho’s bed empty. Daehyun wakes up and weakly groans. Yongguk turns and looks at him with tears in his eyes. He walks over to Daehyun, trying to keep his composure. 

Hyungwon plays with his handcuff with his free hand. He looks over to the girl in the bed across the room. She looks over at him and smiles. He smiles back and waves. She notices the cuff and gets a concerned look. 

“Don’t worry. I’m not a criminal. Just had a mental breakdown.” Hyungwon reassures her obvious concern. 

“Are you okay now?” The woman asks. 

“I’m not sure, honestly.” He pauses. “My close friends are hurt too and I didn’t handle it well.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I hope you all get better soon.” 

Before Hyungwon thanks her, Yongguk runs in, interrupting him. Yongguk explains the situation about Wonho and Hyungwon gets angry. He tries to break his cuff but Yongguk pushes him down. The two fight for a minute before the woman yells at both of them to stop. Hyungwon punches Yongguk with his free hand. Yongguk throws Hyungwon down into the bed and goes to pull his gun out.

“Hey!” The two look at her. “Fighting won’t help anything!” 

Minhyuk sits in the corner of the bar, watching the fish in the aquarium. He follows a fish with his finger and counts its stripes. The door opens and Minhyuk’s head snaps over to it. Shownu and Kihyun walk in and stand at the bar. They don’t notice Minhyuk as they start talking. 

“I did something that I shouldn’t have.” Kihyun speaks up. 

“Is that why you’re running from Jongup?” Shownu replies, making Minhyuk listen closely. 

“I shot Daehyun. But it’s not what you think, he tried to kill Wonho.” 

“What?” Shownu jumps back. “You’re joking, right?”

“I saw the assignment. It wasn’t the boss’ signature but Daehyun accepted it.” 

“Does the boss know?” Shownu looks around and Minhyuk slinks down behind the table. “I don’t believe this.” 

The two get quiet when Minhyuk bumps his head on the table. He pushes his body all the way against the wall. Shownu and Kihyun walk into the dorms, quickly closing the door behind them. Minhyuk gets up and runs out of the bar and over to his car. He drives to the hospital and sits in his car, smoking a cigarette. His mind wanders as people walk in and out of the parking lot. 

He throws the cigarette out the window and gets out of the car. His body goes numb as he makes his way inside to Daehyun and Wonho’s room. Inside the trauma floor hallway, he can hear yelling. The voices sound familiar so he rushes towards the noise. 

“Let me go!” Hyungwon throws his body against the wall. 

“Hyungwon, calm down!” Yongguk tries to relax him. “You’re going to get hurt.”

“Just let me die and be in peace.” Hyungwon cries out. “Please, I can’t handle this.”

Hyungwon slumps down and starts to cry loudly. Yongguk pulls him into his chest and shushes him. He tries to calm him down as Hyungwon shakes. Hyungwon’s stitches were pulled out again in the struggle. Minhyuk rushes in and leans down to them. He panics but Yongguk calms his down too. 

Jongup sits beside Daehyun, playing with his lighter. He flicks in on and off, staring at the flame. A nurse comes in and checks on Wonho. Jongup watches her carefully, following her with his eyes, until she left. He stands up and walks over to Wonho’s bed, hovering over him. 

“I’m sorry, Wonho.” He sighs. “I made a mistake.”


	4. Still Here

Jooheon walks into the bar after his mission. He walks down the hall to Yongguk’s office. Yongguk has his head down on the desk. Jooheon knocks lightly, making Yongguk jump and glare at Jooheon. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Jooheon clears his throat. “I-I’m back from my mission.”

“Right, your bonus.” Yongguk pulls out a wad of cash. “Here. It’s 5K. Don’t tell the others.”

“Sir, isn’t that a bit much?” 

“You’ve been with me since the beginning. You deserve it. Thank you for not turning your back on me.” 

Jooheon nods and takes the money. He stares at Yongguk for a few seconds, not sure what to do. Yongguk looks up and shoos him out of the room. Jooheon slowly walks out, stuffing the wad of cash in his jacket pocket. He sniffles and walks into the bar. 

Hyungwon lays still in his hospital bed. Outside, Yongguk talks to a doctor. 

“He will be put on suicide watch for 24 hours then you can visit him after that. He is unstable and we don't want him hurting himself or anyone else.” The doctor puts a folder on the counter.

“Just make sure he stays safe. He's been under a lot of stress.” Yongguk replies, walking down the hallway. 

Shownu and Zelo walk through the mall, holding drinks and bags in their hand. The two sit down on a bench. Shownu checks his phone and looks annoyed. 

“New assignments are out. Time to head home.” Shownu sighs. 

“But I've still got money left to blow.” Zelo replies jokingly. 

Hyungwon wakes up suddenly and jumps out of bed. A nurse jumps back to the wall and apologizes for waking him up. Hyungwon gasps for air and gets up.

“It’s not time to get up yet, sir. Please wait until morning.” The nurse says, before walking out.

When the nurse closes the door, Hyungwon stands up and walks to the window. Snow covers the streets and the night is silent. Hyungwon jumps as he hears a male voice from behind him.

“Welcome to hell.” The man laughs.

“What? Where am I?” Hyungwon quickly turns around, reaching for his nonexistent gun.  
“Psych ward, buddy.” 

“But I’m not crazy.” Hyungwon gets a sharp pain in his stomach and leans on the bed. “I need to be in trauma.” 

“You don’t need to be crazy.” The man leans forward. “Are you hurt?”

“I was stabbed by-” he pauses, “by a friend.”

Jongup flips his phone in his hands, staring at Wonho. Wonho stares back at him, silently. The awkward air is broken by Yongguk walking in. He stops and looks at Jongup. Jongup stands up and begins to walk out. Yongguk grabs his arm and pulls him back in the room.

“What the hell are you doing?” Yongguk asks in a terrifying tone.

“Please just let me explain later.” Jongup tries to break free.

“No.” He pulls him close. “Now. Sit.” 

The two walk over to the chairs and sit. Wonho watches them closely. Yongguk pulls his chair in front of Jongup and glares. He looks at Wonho,who is falling back asleep. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Yongguk whispers. “Why are you hurting us? Three in the hospital because of you.”

“I didn’t hurt Daehyun.” Jongup replies quietly. 

“Then who did?” 

“That’s not important. I had weak moments and hurt two of my closest friends, my family. Something I know I will never be forgiven for. Isn’t that enough punishment?”

“You know I should just kill you now?” Yongguk gets closer. “Hyungwon is in the goddamn psych ward after having a mental breakdown! Wonho is only just waking up after 3 damn weeks! You deserve much more punishment than your fucking guilt.” 

Jooheon quietly sits at the bar, with his hand in his pocket, playing with his money. Changkyun and Youngjae walk out of the side room. They are surprised to see Jooheon but act natural. Changkyun sits beside Jooheon, playing with his jacket zipper. Youngjae walks to the poker table and sits down, staring at the two at the bar. 

Himchan walks out of a strip club, holding his phone tightly in his hand. He stumbles to the side of the road to hail a cab. His head spins as he gets in the taxi, laying on his side. He tells the driver to stop after a few minutes, throwing a hundred dollar bill at him and leaving. 

Kihyun sits in the dorm, staring at the wall, shaking his leg nervously. He jumps when the door suddenly opens.Himchan stumbles in and stops, noticing Kihyun. They stare at each other before Himchan smirks and walks over to Kihyun. He leans down in his face, grabbing the back of his neck. His eyes sink into Kihyun’s as he breathes deeply. Kihyun chokes from the smell of alcohol. 

“Good to see you again, buddy.” Himchan slurs his words. “Where have you been?” 

“That’s none of your business.” Kihyun pushes him away.

“What if I tell the boss about how you tried to kill Daehyun, after kidnapping Wonho and Hyungwon. He won’t be so happy with that.” 

“I didn’t do anything.” Kihyun pushes Himchan away.

“The boss is easy to convince and he trusts me. You? I’d say not so much, anymore.” Himchan notices the bandage on Kihyun’s leg. “Get hurt?”

Jongup glares at Yongguk as they sit in the bar. They sit at different tables, though close enough to touch. Yongguk is cleaning his gun while Jongup plays with a poker chip. He sighs as it drops to the ground. When he goes to pick it up, Yongguk hits his head with a folder. Jongup gets back up, holding his head. The folder lays on the table, open. When Jongup looks at it, he instantly recognizes it. Yongguk throws his rag down and leans forward. He sighs and waits for Jongup to say anything, but he doesn’t. 

Zelo was into the side room. It’s quiet and looks as if it was scrubbed clean. He looks around to make sure the place is empty. No one is in the building. He takes out a wad of cash from his pocket and places it on the table before taking out another. His smile can’t be contained as he takes them out of their clips. 50k is scattered on the coffee table. He picks up a pile and smells it, before throwing it in the air. Bills fly wildly and Zelo laughs to himself. 

Shownu walks into the bar. He hears a faint noise from the side room. Before walking in, he takes a peek through the side window. Zelo is counting money and stacking them nicely on the table. Shownu widens his eyes in shock. He pulls away from the window and to the door. He hesitates to walk in, turning around and walking to the dorm.

Hyungwon dangles his feet from the bed as he stares out the window. The window is frosted over but he can barely see that it’s snowing. A nurse walks in and knocks on the door. He greets the two patients and tells them it’s time for medication. Hyungwon struggles to stand up so the other man helps him. He wraps Hyungwon’s arm around his shoulder and they walk out. The medication counter is right out the door. Other patients stand in the line, waiting for their meds. Hyungwon pulls away from the man and thanks him. When it comes to Hyungwon’s turn he hesitates to take the cup. He shivers as the pills enter his mouth, taking a drink of water. Holding his breath, he walks back to the room. 

Yongguk plays with his zippo as he sits beside Wonho. Wonho breathes heavily into his oxygen mask. He look over at Yongguk and smiles. Yongguk places his hand on his knee. At the same time, they both look over to Daehyun. He is lying still in the bed, deep in his coma. Wonho’s eyes water as he remembers everything that happened to him. 

“Boss.” Wonho sighs. 

“Yes?” Yongguk looks over to him. 

“Why is he still alive?” 

Shownu throws his things on the bed in anger. He quickly opens his dresser and searches for his briefcase. He pulls it out and opens it, taking one small vile of poison. The door to the dorm beside him opens. He rushes to put his things away and runs out to the bar. 

Changkyun and Youngjae wipe themselves off and get back in the car. They drive to a nearby diner to get some food. Afterwards, they head back to the dorm. Changkyun walks in first, placing his gun on a table. Youngjae goes straight to the dorm. He sets his things down on the bed and takes his jacket off. Changkyun is surprised when Shownu walks out to the bar. Shownu walks behind the bar and pours two drinks and sits down. Changkyun lights a cigarette and walks out to the room. 

Youngjae takes his shirt off when Changkyun walks in. He puts a t-shirt on and watches Changkyun. Changkyun takes his jacket off and places it on the ground. Youngjae walks over to pick it up, throwing it on the bed. 

“Do you have to make a mess?” Youngjae asks, annoyed. “I’m tired of cleaning your messes.”

“Then don’t.” Changkyun says, dropping his tie to his feet. 

Jooheon walks down the road to the hospital. He stops in the parking lot and wonders who he should visit first. Hyungwon’s visiting hours are over in 30 minutes so he chooses that option. He walks into the room. Hyungwon and the man are playing a card game. Jooheon knocks on the door and enters. He takes his coat off and sets it on the chair before sitting down. Hyungwon gets up and goes over to Jooheon. He smiles and bows slightly. 

“Hey friend. Haven’t seen you in a while.” Hyungwon says.

“Boss has been making me watch over Wonho and Daehyun.” Jooheon says as he nods towards Hyungwon’s stomach. “How is it?”

“Healing. But I don’t think the cold weather is helping much.” 

Jooheon meets eyes with the man across the room. He seems like a normal person. Someone you wouldn’t guess to find at a psych ward. Nothing to worry about, in other words. At least not to Jooheon. Hyungwon sits on his bed and sighs. Jooheon takes out a candy bar and sets it on the bed. Hyungwon looks at it and begins to grab for it. Jooheon jokingly slaps him away before telling him to take it. Hyungwon unwraps the chocolate and takes a bite. He smiles and relaxes his shoulders. 

Wonho wakes up in the middle of the night to find Yongguk sleeping beside him in the chair. He looks over at Daehyun and then back to Yongguk. No one would be waking up soon it seems. He takes the oxygen mask off and coughs His hand falls down to the IV on the opposite arm. He picks at the tape, coughing loudly. His coughs wake Yongguk up. Yongguk looks at him concerned. 

“Water.” Is all that Wonho can say through his dry lips. 

Yongguk rushes out of the room to find a water cooler. When he comes back, Wonho has tried to sit up. Yongguk walks beside him and helps his sit up comfortably. Wonho takes the cup of water and drinks it in one go. He places the cup on the table beside him. He can’t help but glare over at Daehyun, even in his catatonic state. 

Minhyuk sits in Yongguk’s office, reading his next contract. He closes the folder and places it nicely on the desk. His face goes from serious to confused, before Yongguk speaks up. 

“I know it’s a strange assignment.” Yongguk smiles.

“You want me to kill a circus family? Alone?”

“Yes and Jongup is off assignments until I say so. Got it?”

Minhyuk nods and starts to get up. He shrugs and signs the contract, before walking out. Yongguk watches him leave, closing the door quietly behind. He walks straight to his car to start his mission. Yongguk reaches for a glass of whiskey on his desk and takes a sip. His ears start to ring and his vision blurs. He sets the drink down and tries to walk, stumbling into his desk. His body gives out and he collapses on the floor. 

Zelo walks down the hall, hand in pocket. He smiles as he walks into Yongguk’s office. Yongguk lays nearly motionless on the ground, crumpled in the fetal position. Zelo yells out and runs to find the nearest person. Shownu is sleeping in his dorm when Zelo bursts through the door. 

“Wake up!” Zelo yells, rushing to Shownu’s side.”Yongguk is hurt!”

Shownu wakes up and quickly jumps out of bed. They both run down to Yongguk’s office. Shownu grabs him and pulls him up. His eyes are half open but he is alive. They pick him up and carry him to a couch sitting against the wall. Yongguk moans and coughs, grabbing for Zelo. 

“Call an ambulance.” Yongguk commands before doubling over in pain. 

Hyungwon sits on the windowsill, picking at the paint on the wall. He hears the door open but doesn’t look to see who it is. Himchan walks up behind him and places a hand on his shoulder. 

“Hey, brother.” Himchan says before pulling his hand away. 

“I'm surprised to see you.” Hyungwon turns to him.

“Why is that?” 

“You seem to like running away. Why don't you leave the clan?” Hyungwon looks past Himchan and looks at his roommate. The man tries not to make it obvious he is listening. “Please, you've hurt us enough.” 

Jongup closes the folder and sets it on the table. His blood runs cold as he stares at Yongguk. Yongguk sighs and smirks, crossing his arms in front of him. He slowly assembles his gun as Jongup is forced to watch. Jongup shuffles in his seat but Yongguk slams his hand on the table, making him freeze. 

“Sit still!” Yongguk yells. “This was the last straw.” 

Yongguk takes his phone out and dials Jooheon. Jooheon answers instantly. 

“Round everyone up. Don't ask questions, everyone is coming back to the bar.” Yongguk hangs up. 

Jooheon puts his phone in his pocket and stares over at Wonho. Wonho looks concerned and curious but doesn't ask anything. 

“I'm discharging you, I'll get you a wheelchair. Do you need help getting dressed?” 

Wonho shakes his head and Jooheon leaves. Jooheon walks into Hyungwon’s room but stops at the sight of Himchan. 

“Hyungwon. You've been discharged. We've all been called back to the bar.” 

Youngjae and Changkyun look at their phones at the same time. The text tells them to get to the bar as soon as possible. They don't hesitate to get in the car and make their way. Kihyun’s blood runs cold when he reads the text. He dreads going back to the bar, especially in such poor shape. His mind goes crazy with scenarios of being called a traitor and being killed. He gets into Wonho’s car and starts his journey back home. 

Everyone quietly gathers around inside the bar. They stare at Jongup, who stands in the middle of the room. Yongguk stands behind him, holding his gun firmly in his right hand. Jongup keeps a close eye on Wonho. 

“Last words?” Yongguk asks, lifting the gun up to Jongup’s head.

“Wonho, I’m sorry and I understand if you’ll never forgive me.” 

“That’s enough.” 

Yongguk presses the gun into Jongup’s head, making him stumble forward. Jongup closes his eyes and puts his head down. He takes a large breath as Yongguk cocks the gun. Everyone flinches as he slowly pulls the trigger. Jongup opens his eyes and looks up at everyone. They stare in shock at the lack of bloodshed. Yongguk walks around in front of Jongup. He smiles and pulls the empty clip out of the gun. 

Jongup trips back, almost falling back onto the floor. He grabs his head in shock but is quickly blindsided when Yongguk pistolwhips him. He crumples to the ground and Yongguk kicks him in the stomach. Before Yongguk can give another hit, he is stopped by Wonho.

“Please, no more.” Wonho begs. “Jongup. I may never forgive you but today you’re lucky to have gotten this far. I should let Yongguk shred you apart and leave you to die but a real traitor should be living with his mistake for the rest of his life.” 

Minhyuk covers his mouth after a wave of nausea fills his body. He runs out of the bar and over to the street, falling to his knees and vomiting. His body shakes as he tries to regain his stance. Hyungwon walks out and looks at Minhyuk, concerned. 

“What do I do? I trusted him. I let him in and he turns his back on everyone.” Minhyuk yells before gasping for air. 

“Breathe. You’ll figure it out. Yongguk will get you a new partner.” Hyungwon tries to reassure him.

“I don’t want another partner!” 

“Unfortunately, a lot of sacrifices have to be made tonight.” 

Yongguk is rushed to the hospital, Zelo and Shownu following close behind the ambulance. At the hospital, Yongguk is taken into the ER. Zelo nervously bites his finger as the doctor lets them go into the room. Yongguk breathes slowly as he plays with the wires attached to his chest. Everyone sits quietly and waits for the blood test to come back. Two hours later, the doctor knocks on the door. 

“Sir, it seems we found a large amount of poison in your system.” The doctor says, staring awkwardly. 

“Who would poison you?” Zelo asks. 

“I don’t know, poison man. You tell me.” Yongguk glares at Shownu.


	5. Painful Past

Minhyuk stares at Jongup as they sit on their beds. Jongup tries to keep his head down but fails, looking up to Minhyuk. They both try to hold back tears, Minhyuk failing. 

“You were the one person I could trust.” Minhyuk says quietly. 

“I’m still your partner.” Jongup breathes deeply. “I’ll always be by your side.”

“But what about when you ran away? Or when you played god and tried to kill another clan member? What about that, huh?” 

“I’ve made a lot of stupid decisions.” 

“Stupid? You’re the biggest traitor I know. I might as well kill you myself.” 

Jongup stands up and walks to Minhyuk. “Go ahead. I’m ready.” 

Jooheon walks down the street, eating a candy bar. He is dressed in his mission gear but not going on a mission. His body takes him to the hospital to visit Daehyun. Daehyun lays peacefully in the bed. Jooheon watches his heart monitor closely as he plays with his sleeve. His phone goes off, it’s a text from Wonho. As he checks it, he notices Daehyun’s hand twitching. He looks up quickly as Daehyun weakly tries to reach for Jooheon. 

Wonho attempts to stand up, failing and falling back into his wheelchair. He looks around to see everyone looking over to him. Youngjae and Minhyuk walk over to him and sit at the table. Wonho looks at them and greets them, depressingly. 

“I don’t need any pity from you guys.” Wonho says.

“We don’t pity you.” Youngjae insists, walking over to Wonho. “Come on let me help you stand.” 

Youngjae places his hands under Wonho’s arms and pulls him up. Wonho lifts up as he struggles through the pain. He wobbles once to his feet but Youngjae carefully keeps him propped up. Minhyuk walks over to them and holds Wonho’s left arm while Youngjae takes the right.

“I’m fine, I’ll do it myself.” Wonho pulls away, stumbling forward into the table. 

Hyungwon picks at his hospital bracelet and sighs. He walks into the dorm, feeling awkward. His head droops down as he walks over to his bed. He stares at Daehyun’s bed and gets a wave of anger. Not thinking, he throws a pillow at the bed, doubling over in pain from the force. He jumps as someone opens the door. Himchan walks in and smiles at Hyungwon. Hyungwon ignores him as he picks the pillow up from across the room. 

“Ah, brother. Still pretending I’m not here.” Himchan laughs to himself. ”Anyway, I’m just here to change for my mission so continue ignoring.” 

“Even if I wanted to ignore you, you’d make it impossible.” Hyungwon says, standing up. “Change. I’m leaving.” 

Hyungwon walks out and goes to the bar. Everyone else sits in their respective spots. He notices the empty spot at the bar, that Daehyun is supposed to be in, and sits beside it. Wonho weakly walks over to him and sits in Daehyun’s seat. Hyungwon looks over and tries to smile. 

Minhyuk picks at the felt on the poker table. Jongup stares at him, while shuffling a deck of cards. He places the cards down and clears his throat.

“Don’t speak.” Minhyuk blurts out. “Let’s play a quiet game of poker.”

Jooheon walks down the street, entering a park and sitting on a bench. A moth flies past his head, making him swat at the air. He takes a cigarette out and lights it, watching the smoke rise. His phone goes off but he ignores it and stares as the screen turns off. A text goes through and he looks down at it. He stands up quickly and runs down the road towards the bar dorm. 

Yongguk stares down at the poker table as Minhyuk holds his gun to Jongup’s head. Jongup looks down at the table. He scoffs and sits up straight in his chair. 

“Can’t handle losing to your best friend?” Jongup smirks before standing up. 

Yongguk pushes him back down in his seat. Himchan walks out to the bar and walks behind Jongup. He places his hand on Jongup’s shoulder, sliding down to his neck. His fingers wrap around Jongup’s throat as he pulls his head up towards him.

“What’d you do this time, buddy?” Himchan laughs. 

“This bitch can’t handle a joke.” Jongup rips away from Himchan and stands up. “In reality, he’s the joke.” 

Jongup walks away, leaving everyone in silence. Jooheon bursts through the door and looks at everyone, confused. He walks over to the poker table and looks at Minhyuk’s gun. Yongguk pushes by him but he follows him back to the office. Jooheon stops the office door from closing, staring at Yongguk, confused and annoyed. Yongguk sits down, trying not to get angry. He grabs a stack of assignments and throws them across the room. Jooheon steps to the side as Yongguk puts his head on the desk. 

“No assignments until everyone gets their fucking heads straight!” Yongguk yells. 

“Yes, sir. I’ll inform everyone.” Jooheon says before quickly leaving. 

“If anyone has a problem, shoot them.” 

Kihyun limps down the alley and over to his car, lighting a cigarette before getting in. He drives to the hospital but hesitates to go inside. The halls are quiet, only small talk coming from the nurses at the desk. He walks down towards Daehyun’s room. Daehyun lays still and Kihyun sits in the chair beside his bed. He stares at the IV bag on the stand, watching it drip and flow into Daehyun’s arm. 

Minhyuk sits on his bed, trying not to shake his leg. Jongup walks in and Minhyuk begins to leave. He is stopped by Jongup grabbing his arm. 

“You are my partner. Nothing will change that” Jongup says, staring at Minhyuk. 

“And if I don’t want to be your partner anymore?” Minhyuk spits out. 

“Let’s just say it’s safer for you to be my partner than not.” 

Minhyuk laughs. “Is that a fucking threat?” 

Jongup lets go and Minhyuk continues walking out. Before he leaves Jongup yells out to him. “It’s time everyone is set straight in this goddamn place!”

Youngjae sits at the bar, holding a dart in his hand. Changkyun walks up and greets him. Youngjae hold the dart up and offer to play a few rounds. Changkyun takes the dart and aims it at the dartboard. He throws it, almost missing, then declining the offer. Youngjae stands up and takes the dart out from the board, sitting back down. He blindly throws it, making it a centimeter away from bullseye. Changkyun shrugs it off and sits down. Youngjae slides a glass over to him and he gladly takes it. He sips at the drink and sets it down before reaching into his pocket. Youngjae doesn't notice as Changkyun slips a small baggie into Youngjae’s pocket. He downs the drink and stands up to pour another. 

Himchan walks down an alleyway, hands in his pocket. A hooded figure steps in front of him, forcing a quick stop. He steps forward, grabbing for his gun. The man grabs his hand and pushes him face first into the wall, pinning his hands behind him. He curses under his breath as he tries to break free. The man pulls him back and slams him harder against the brick. Himchan grunts as his head collides with the wall, feeling blood run from his forehead. The man pulls him to the ground, punching him over and over again. He stops before Himchan loses consciousness, breathing hard and walking away. Himchan rolls over on his stomach and spits blood onto the asphalt. He crawls to the wall and pulls himself up, wobbling, before walking out of the alley. 

Shownu stares at the wall as he sits beside Yongguk’s hospital bed. Yongguk crosses his arms, waiting for the nurse to bring him his clothes. Shownu thinks back to when he poured two drinks at the bar. He took a small bottle filled with a blue liquid from his pocket. His hand shook as he poured into one glass, taking it over to Zelo. Before Zelo could have a sip, Yongguk swiped it and walked to his office. Shownu snaps back to reality and clears his throat. The nurse brings Yongguk his clothes and he quickly takes them, walking to the bathroom. He holds his stomach but brushes it off, pulling his hospital shirt over his head. 

Hyungwon takes his jacket off before sitting next to Deahyun’s bed. Daehyun twitches and groans in pain. He weakly opens with mouth to talk but can only let out a dry cough. His chest rises and falls as he tries to move. Hyungwon clears his throat and leans forward in his chair. 

“I don't know if I should be happy you're alive or call you stupid for really going after a clan member.” Hyungwon says, playing with Daehyun’s IV. 

“I-” Daehyun’s voice cracks. “Just be safe.” 

“I'll be fine. Worry about yourself.” Hyungwon clenches his teeth and laughs to himself. “You've missed a lot of shit, buddy.” 

“Is this the end?” 

Hyungwon grabs Deahyun’s hand, holding back tears. “I promise you, it's not.” 

Zelo bows as Yongguk walks through the bar doors. Shownu walks in after and Zelo stares at him. He steps back to let Shownu through before going back to his seat. Shownu pours himself a drink and sits down at the table, across from Zelo. His leg shakes the more Zelo looks at him. 

“Do you want a drink?” Shownu asks, keeping his head down. 

“No thanks, if I did, I'd get it myself.” Zelo bites at him. 

Shownu sighs before setting his gun on the table. Zelo raises his eyebrow but doesn't say anything. He watches as Shownu takes the clip out and sets it beside the gun. Shownu stands up and walks to the dorms, leaving Zelo confused. 

 

Wonho and Kihyun sit in a booth at a diner, coffee in front of both of them. Kihyun wears a hoodie to hide bruises on his face. Wonho sits forward and stares into Kihyun’s eyes. 

“You really gonna take that crap from Jongup?” Wonho says through his teeth. 

“What am I supposed to do? He's smart, he knows how to get out of everything.” Kihyun puts his elbows on the table. “Would I be seen as a traitor if I killed him? He's still a clan member.” 

“He tried to kill me, you, and Hyungwon by plotting Daehyun against me. He's not a clan member in any of our eyes.” 

Himchan limps into the bar, holding his stomach. He looks up to see Jongup sitting at the poker table, wearing a dark hoodie. Jongup smirks as Himchan walks to the table and sits down across from him. He stares at Jongup’s bloody knuckles before laughing. 

“Oh, brother. You are really asking to be killed aren't you?” Himchan shakes his head in disbelief. 

Jongup sits forward, pulling his gun up to Himchan’s face. He pulls it away as the dorm door opens and Yongguk walks out. His eyes follow Yongguk as he walks to the lounge. 

“You know, when I joined this clan I thought it would help me become strong enough to kill the man who killed my wife. Only on my first day, he shook my hand and told me he was training me.” 

Himchan smirks and blinks slowly, leaning back. “That whore would have blown my gun if it hadn't blown her brains out.” 

Jongup jumps up and grabs Himchan by the throat. He throws him to the ground, strangling him. Himchan tries to push him off but fails as Jongup puts all his weight down on him. Stars begin to form in his eyes and he loses his grip on Jongup’s sleeve. Before he loses consciousness, he kicks Jongup in the crotch, making him pull back. Himchan rolls to the side and quickly pushes himself up. He grabs Jongup by the collar, punching him in the mouth before pulling him to face level. Jongup throws his head back, laughing loudly. He wipes the blood from his lip before walking to the lounge. Himchan coughs and clenches his jaw, sitting at a table. 

Jooheon sits in Yongguk’s empty office, staring at the paintings on the wall. He mouth twitches as he looks at the floor. At his feet is a burned bill. He picks it up and examines it, looking up to Yongguk's desk. A zippo lays on its side, next to a pile of folders. Jooheon raises his eyebrow, trying to put two and two together. The door opens and he jumps, looking back. Yongguk walks in and stares at Joonhoen. 

“What are you doing in here?” Yongguk asks, walking around to his desk. 

“Just needed to think. It's quieter here than in the dorm.” Jooheon says, sitting back. 

Yongguk looks down at Jooheon’s hand and notices the burned dollar. “Tell me something.” He sits down. “Why are you so loyal?” 

“You saved me from a broken home. I owe you my life. I'm loyal to you, not the clan.” Jooheon stands up, placing the dollar on the desk before walking out. 

Minhyuk pulls into the driveway of an empty house. He stares into the windows as he walks up to the front door. His heart beats fast as he unlocks the door and goes inside. As he steps into the living room, his eyes go over a large bloodstain on the floor. He leans down to it and sighs. A tear rolls down his cheek as he remembers the break in. The masked man gathered Minhyuk’s family in the corner. He watched as they were all shot in the head. Minhyuk backed himself behind the couch and covered his mouth, tethered my not to be noticed. After the man left, he heard a gunshot outside the house. Yongguk walked into the living room and called for him to come out. 

He snaps back to reality as he hears the front door open, grabbing his gun instinctively. His finger hovers over the trigger as he slowly walks to the foyer. He lowers the gun when he sees Yongguk standing in front of him. 

“What are you doing here?” Minhyuk asks, heart beating fast. 

“This mission was the hardest on me. If I was a little faster, they could have been alive.” Yongguk says, walking into the living room. “But then you wouldn't be where you are today.” 

“But maybe I would be happier. Maybe I wouldn't be plotting how to kill my best friend.” He leans against the wall. “Yeah, maybe life would be better.”

“You belong in the clan. I chose you for a reason. It shouldn't have been under these circumstances. But you are here now and that's all that matters.” 

Kihyun sits up in his bed and stares at the dark room. He sees everyone sleeping in their respective places. His eyes focus as he gets up, walking out to the hallway. As he walks out to the parking garage, he hears fighting. Shownu pulls Kihyun behind a wall and tells him to be quiet. They watch as Youngjae and Zelo fight. 

Changkyun sets a styrofoam cup of tea in front of Daehyun. Daehyun weakly takes it and sips, burning his tongue. He looks at Changkyun, noticing a cut onhis eyebrow and bottom lip. 

“Who beat you up?” Daehyun asks, clearing his throat. 

“Ah this?” Changkyun points to his wounds. “Youngjae and I got into a small fight. Nothing serious.” 

Daehyun says nothing, taking another sip of his tea. He goes to set the cup down, accidentally setting it on the edge. It spills all over Changkyun’s lap. He jumps up and curses loudly. Daehyun gasps and apologizes, coughing loudly after trying to sit up. Changkyun throws the empty cup at Daehyun, grabbing at his hospital gown. Daehyun stares as he's thrown back into his bed. Changkyun balls his fist and glares at him before calming himself down. Daehyun’s mouth hands open as Changkyun sits back down like nothing happened. 

“I'm sorry. I've just been in the edge lately.” Changkyun says after clearing his throat. 

Wonho pulls his shirt off, throwing it in a basket beside his bed. He stares in the mirror, placing his hand over the scar on his stomach. His lip twitches as he grabs for a new shirt. Youngjae walks into the room, wiping blood from his lip. Wonho looks at him, confused and concerned, as he pulls his shirt over his head. Youngjae throws his coat off and throws it at the bed. He seethes and Wonho watches from the corner. 

“The hell happened to you?” Wonho asks.

Zelo walks behind Youngjae in the parking garage, staring angrily at his back. Before Youngjae can reach his car, Zelo grabs him by the arm and turns him around. Youngjae steps back and yells at him. 

“What the fuck?” Zelo yells, pushing Youngjae back. “Why did you take my coke?”

Youngjae stares confused. “Your what? Your coke? Like cocaine? I don't have it, I don't do that shit.” 

Youngjae begins to walk away but Zelo pounces on him, grabbing for his pocket. “I.M. told me you took it now give it back.” 

The two fight back and forth. Zelo throws a punch, hitting Youngjae in the jaw. He grabs Zelo by his collar and stares at him. Zelo pushes him off, putting his hand in Youngjae’s pocket. He pulls out the bag and looks at it, then at Youngjae. His eye twitches as he lunges for Youngjae’s throat. The two struggle for a minute before Youngjae grabs a dart from his pocket. He strikes down blindly, hitting Zelo in the neck. Zelo pulls away and holds the wound as Youngjae stabs him again in the chest. He keeps stabbing at Zelo until Kihyun runs from behind the wall and pulls him back. Zelo falls to the ground and gasps for air, spitting blood out into the concrete. Kihyun pulls Youngjae back as they both stare at Zelo, Youngjae still clutching the dart in his hand. Shownu walks out and goes over to Zelo. Zelo hold his hand up for him but he just stares. 

Youngjae falls to his knees and breathes hard. He stares as blood pours out from Zelo’s neck. Kihyun panics and runs out of the garage. Shownu calmly walks to a pillar and leans against it. Youngjae crawls to Zelo, placing his hand over his neck to stop the bleeding. He looks over at Shownu. 

“Are you just gonna stand there?” Youngjae yells. “Help me!” 

“He had this coming for a long time. Let him go.” Shownu says, pushing himself off the wall and going upstairs. 

Youngjae pulls away, looking at all the blood around him. Zelo grabs Youngjae’s arm, trying to pull himself up. Blood pours from his mouth as tears rolls down his cheek. His grip weakens and he closes his eyes. Youngjae stands up and stares at Zelo in shock. He slowly walks backwards, up to the building. 

The door to the bar slams shut. Everyone jumps as Yongguk walks to his table. They keep their heads low, afraid to speak. Youngjae feels sick, trying to smoke a cigarette to calm himself. He wipes away a drop of blood from his palm, hoping no one saw it. Yongguk sets his hands on the table, staring at all the clan members. 

“As you may or may not know, a clan member was killed today. We do not know who did it, but we will find out. If anyone has or receives information, come to me in my office.” Yongguk informs everyone, in a loud and terrifying voice. “The funeral is Sunday, the 15th. Attendance is mandatory. It will be a closed funeral. Non clan members will not be allowed to attend. Everyone understand?”

They all nod. Kihyun looks over at Youngjae, who is playing with his sleeve. He stands up and walks to the dorm, Kihyun following close behind. Youngjae buries his face in his hands, trying not to shake from crying. Kihyun rests his hand on Youngjae’s shoulder, trying to find the right words to say.

“It’s all my fault. He’s still be alive if I didn’t lose my temper. I need to tell boss.” Youngjae starts to leave but Kihyun grabs his arm. 

“You can’t. It wasn’t your fault. It will be our secret. We’ll make sure Shownu doesn’t tell anyone.” Kihyun says quietly. 

“We need to take him down.”


	6. Seeing Red, Turning Blue

Everyone stands in front of the closed casket, holding red roses in their hands. Yongguk walks up and places his rose down in front of the picture of Zelo. One by one, the other clan members do the same. They stare quietly, trying not to show too many emotions. Youngjae glances over at Kihyun, who is keeping a close eye on Shownu. Shownu stares blankly at the casket while playing with a leaf he took from his rose. Yongguk takes a necklace from around his neck off and looks at the pendant. His fingers run over the words etched on the front. 

Zelo 10/15/96   
-Agility-

Yongguk places the necklace on the altar before walking to the front. He looks over at everyone and sighs, again trying not to show too many emotions. Youngjae feels his head spin slightly and goes to step back, falling to the floor. Everyone turns around in shock and tries to help him up. Yongguk rushes to him, grabbing him by the arm and leading him to a chair. Youngjae breathes hard as he folds over, feeling himself get sick. He pushes everyone out of the way and runs, stumbling outside. Kihyun runs out just as Youngjae gets sick in the sidewalk. He rushes to him, placing a hand on his back to comfort him. Youngjae shakes hard as he slides his back down the wall. 

“I can't do this. I have to tell them. I can't live with this.” Youngjae begins to panic. 

Kihyun tries to keep him quiet. “Hey, look at me. You tell boss and you're dead. You die a traitor. You were just defending yourself, I know but you need to stay strong.” He stands Youngjae up. “Now come on, let's get you back inside where it's warm.” 

Daehyun sits silently in the bed, staring at the wall. He looks up as the door opens. Hyungwon walks in, still in his suit from the funeral. His face is stained with tears but he tries to force a smile as he sits next to the bed. Daehyun looks at his hand and notices a rose. Hyungwon hands it to him and he places it at the end of his bed. He tries to stay calm until he looks at Hyungwon who has tears running down his cheek. His hands shake as he bites at his lip to keep from crying, failing. 

“You promised me this wasn't the end.” Daehyun says quietly, trying not to choke. 

Hyungwon swallows hard and sniffles, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “This isn't the end. We need to becoming stronger now.” 

“I don't think I'll become much stronger.” 

“I was stabbed in the stomach but yesterday I still drop kicked 10 people one after the other.”

“I think I still have it worse. I'm still in the hospital.” 

“Very true.” Hyungwon tries to laugh. “But you're getting much better. You'll be out in no time.” 

Everyone in the bar stares at Shownu, who is sitting alone at his usual table. He sits back and takes a drink, seemingly unbothered by his best friend's death. Yongguk watches him closely, telling Jooheon to continue looking over the new assignments for mistakes. He leans forward, trying to study Shownu from the back. Shownu looks up and notices the attention. He slowly stands up, staring confused, and walks back to the dorm. 

Himchan leans back from his table, over to Jongup. He whispers in his ear and they both stand up, walking out to the parking garage. The two get into Himchan’s car and drive away towards a diner. 

Jongup slides into the booth, across from Himchan. A waitress walk over with two cups of coffee and sets them down. They two thank her and order their usuals. Himchan watches the waitress walk back behind the counter. He looks down at his hands then up to Jongup. 

“So, mister revenge. Want to find who killed Zelo?” Himchan asks, leaning forward. 

“Do I have to work with you?” Jongup rolls his eyes. “But yes, I would love to.” 

“You know, you act like it's so bad to work with me. I was your first partner, remember?” He smiles. “We did so well together. It'd love to do that again.” 

Jongup glares at him for a minute before accepting Himchan. The waitress cuts their conversation off as she brings their food. Himchan watches her carefully until Jongup kicks his shin. His head snaps over to Jongup who is trying to hide his smirk. He takes a drink of his coffee before grabbing for a fork. Himchan glances back at the waitress, who is filling another order. He smiles and starts to eat. 

Yongguk walks down towards the parking garage and stops when he hears people walking towards the elevator. He leans against the wall and listens to what they are saying.   
“Come on we need to clean you up.” A voice whispers before the doors close. 

Yongguk continues walking into the garage. He stops when he hears an odd noise. As he follows it, he keeps his hand over his gun. A cold chill runs down his spine when he turns the corner. Zelo lays in a pool of blood, trying to breathe through coughs. Yongguk runs as fast as he can to reach Zelo. He pulls him into his lap and puts pressure on the neck wound. Zelo has already been drastically drained of color. Yongguk tries to keep Zelo awake but fails as he coughs up a large clot of blood. His eyes flutter as his head falls back into Yongguk stomach. Yongguk shakes as he pulls his hand away from the wound. He notices how small they are, trying to figure out what made them. Without thinking, he stands, picking Zelo up in his arms and going up to the lounge. 

Changkyun sets his jacket on the chair before sitting down. Minhyuk catches him staring intently at Youngjae, sitting at the bar. He walks over to Youngjae and asks him for a drink. 

“Everything okay? You don't look so hot.” Minhyuk asks, concerned. 

“I can't really say.” Youngjae replies in a low voice. “I just know I need to get revenge on someone.” 

Minhyuk shakes his head and returns to his seat, staring over at Changkyun. He jumps when Yongguk throws a folder down in front of him. Yongguk goes around the room, setting folders down in front of select people. He skips Jongup and Shownu. Jongup accepts this but Shownu looks up confused. He watches as Yongguk walks back towards his office without a word. Youngjae stands up and walks towards Yongguk’s office just as Shownu stands up to do the same. They reach the door at the same time. Youngjae stares as Shownu before turning around and walking back to the bar. 

Shownu opens the door just as Yongguk closes the safe. He looks up at Shownu and tells him to come in. Shownu slowly walks in and sits down, looking at the two folders on Yongguk’s desk. 

“Why didn't I get an assignment?” Shownu asks, confused and a bit offended. 

“You're grieving, you shouldn't be out there anyway.” Yongguk replies, staring a him. 

“I'm really okay. Don't worry.” 

Yongguk shrugs and tell him the will think about it before telling him to leave. Shownu walks down the hall, stopping when he reaches a display case. Inside is a rose and a silver dog tag with Zelo’s name on it. He sighs and walks away, keeping his head down. Youngjae watches him come back in the bar, prompting him to immediately stand up. Kihyun pops his head up just as Youngjae opens the door. He gets up and quickly walks towards him. Youngjae is surprised when Kihyun grabs his arm right outside Yongguk’s door. 

“The hell are you doing?” Kihyun whispers. “Are you about to confess?” 

“I'm going to tell him Shownu did it.” Youngjae says almost emotionless. 

“I would say you shouldn't lie but it's not like he tried to help you. But what about Changkyun? What did he do?” 

Youngjae twitches slightly. “He planned all of this. He planted the coke in my pocket so Zelo would confront me.” 

“Do you think Shownu told him to?”

The two jump back when the door opens. Yongguk stands there, he smiles and walks past them to the bar. Youngjae sighs and grabs his head, walking down to the dorms. He sits on the bed and looks at the scar on his palm from where the dart sliced it open. Wonho walks in and smiles, holding something small. He holds it up and gives it to Youngjae. 

“You left your dart on the bar.” Wonho says as Youngjae takes it. “Are you alright? You've been weird since the funeral.” 

“Can I tell you something?” Youngjae quietly asks, keeping his head down. 

Changkyun walks into the warehouse. He goes to a crate against the wall and opens it, pulling out a handgun and a few clips. When he closes the crate, he hears a noise behind him. A hand grabs his shoulder and pulls him back. As he turns around, he's surprised to see Yongguk holding a gun to his face. Yongguk cocks the gun and tells him to get on his knees. Changkyun puts his hands up and slowly drops to the ground. He puts his head down and breathes hard, trying not to shake. Yongguk glares down at him, trying not to get too angry. 

Minhyuk walks down an alley, playing with his sleeve. He sees two men a ways down, leaning against a wall. They don’t notice him as he walks up to them. One man looks up just in time to see Minhyuk raise his gun. He pulls the trigger and the other man jumps away. Before he can run, Minhyuk grabs him and throws him against the wall. He takes the man’s head and slams it into the wall. The man tries to grabs Minhyuk as he hits the brick. Minhyuk holds the gun to his temple and pulls the trigger. He blinks and wipes the blood from his face, throwing his card down on the bodies. 

Wonho stares at Youngjae with his mouth open in shock. Youngjae lowers her head, flipping his dart between his fingers. 

“I'm not sure I fully understand.” Wonho says with a confused look. “You killed Zelo because I.M put his cocaine in your pocket so he would attack you?” 

Youngjae nods, jumping as the dart slips out of his hand. “I just lost it. It's still my fault. I should have just pushed him off and left. He would still be here.” 

“And Shownu just stood and did nothing?” 

“It's almost like he didn't care. Do you think Shownu told I.M to set me up?” 

“Jesus Christ all this double crossing is making my head hurt.” Wonho sighs, sitting forward. “Shownu had been acting really weird lately. Before Zelo died, he told me it would be funny if he accidentally swallowed his poison.” 

“I'm just sorry Kihyun was dragged into it. We both agree Shownu needs to go. Whether that means kicked out or dead.” 

“But what about I.M?” 

Yongguk pushes Changkyun to the ground with his foot. He blinks slowly as he keeps his foot on his back. Changkyun puts his hands over his head and slows his breath. His heartbeat speeds up, feeling it against the ground. Yongguk pulls his gun up over Changkyun’s body. 

“Get up. We're going back to the bar.” Yongguk demands in a loud voice. 

Changkyun doesn't hesitate to get to his feet. “Wait, sir. You don't have to do this.” 

“You have been cheating us from the beginning.” 

Yongguk grabs Changkyun by the arm and pulls him out of the warehouse and over to the car. He puts his gun away and turns Changkyun over, pushing him into the door. Yongguk takes out a pair of handcuffs, placing them around Changkyun's wrist. He pulls him into the passenger’s seat, slamming the door shut, and getting in the driver’s seat. The drive back to the bar is unnervingly quiet. Changkyun shakes his leg and stares out the window. Every few minutes, he would look over to Yongguk. Their eyes meet and Yongguk sneers, speeding up. He takes his phone out and calls Jooheon, keeping it on speakerphone. 

“Yes, boss?” Jooheon answers the phone almost immediately. 

“Everyone in the bar, now.” Yongguk demands, hanging up. 

Jooheon stares at his phone for a few seconds before placing it on the table. He looks around at everyone, who are already looking at him. Youngjae and Wonho walk out of the dorm and notice the awkward silence. They look at Jooheon and let out confused what’s. 

“He ordered everyone to the bar.” Jooheon says loudly. 

“What happened?” Youngjae asks, feeling his heartbeat speed up. 

“He didn’t say.” Jooheon stands up. “But he left shortly after I.M left.” 

“Why would be go after I.M?” Minhyuk raises up from the back of the room. 

Their conversation stops when they hear a car pull up in the alley beside the building. They all sit down and quietly stare at the door. It flies open and Yongguk pulls Changkyun in by the arm. Changkyun tries to pull away but Yongguk pushes him to the ground. Youngjae stares, wide-eyed at him, noticing the multiple wounds around his face. Everyone gathers around. Jongup wraps his arm around Minhyuk’s shoulder. Changkyun looks up to Youngjae, scared for his life. Shownu pushes to the front of the crowd, crossing his arms and smirking. 

Yongguk clears his throat. “Speak.” 

“We’ve been cheated.” Changkyun whispers.

In an instant, Yongguk raises his gun and shoots. Shownu flies backwards, hitting a table and falling to the floor. Blood pours from his chest and his breathing speeds up. Everyone turns to him, shocked. They step back and look back up to Yongguk. He lifts the gun to Changkyun and quickly pulls the trigger. Changkyun falls to the side, spitting blood onto the floor. Youngjae begins to shake, stumbling back and tripping on a chair. Yongguk walks up to him, putting his gun back in its holster. He gestures for Youngjae to sit and he does immediately. 

“I’m not mad at you.” Yongguk smiles. "Or Kihyun."

“You heard us talking at your door.” Youngjae says, not sure if it was a question or not. 

“I’ll give out new partner assignments tomorrow. Get some rest. You need it.” 

Yongguk stands up and pats Youngjae on the shoulder, before walking out towards his office. Jooheon’s mouth hangs open as he chases after Yongguk. They meet in the hallway.   
“Sir. What are we supposed to do about Shownu and I.M?” Jooheon asks, still confused about the whole situation. 

“Just leave them for now. I’ll get them after I calm down.” Yongguk insists, turningand walking away. 

Jongup is surprised when Minhyuk pulls him out to the sidewalk. He gives a confused look and he lights a cigarette and walks to his car. Jongup follows him, getting in the passenger's side. Minhyuk starts the car put only rolls the window down. He offers Jongup a cigarette, who takes it, lighting it with Minhyuk’s lighter. When he rolls his window down, Minhyuk suddenly speeds out of the lot. 

“So.” Minhyuk says, clearing his throat. “Himchan was your first partner?” 

“How did you find that out?” Jongup replies, confused. 

“I bugged you. I can hear everything you say.” 

Jongup’s head snaps over to Minhyuk. “That’s ridiculous. How long have you been doing that?” 

“Oh, day one. But I just wanted to see how long it would take you to betray everyone. Longer than I thought, I have to say. I mean you’ve been a traitor from the beginning but I have to say I’m impressed by your willpower.” 

“Are you absolutely insane?” Jongup chuckles hysterically. 

“What’s insane is hearing you talk about how you’d prefer to stay with the clan than go back to 10-04.” 

Jongup swallows hard as Minhyuk continues driving, seemingly with no destination. 

The next morning, everyone sits in the bar, chairs in a row. Yongguk has a small stack of folders and a clipboard in his hands. He stares at everyone as they quietly shift in their seats. 

“Today, some changes need to be made with partners. For most of you, your partners will stay the same. Such as: Myself and Jooheon, Himchan and Wonho, Jongup and Minhyuk. Hyungwon you will no longer share Kihyun as Daehyun’s partner. Kihyun will now be with Youngjae. Does everyone understand?” Yongguk announces while pacing in front of everyone. 

Everyone shakes their head and Yongguk begins to hand out the folders. “Good. These are your new assignments. From now on, assignments will now times for when you need to report back to me after the mission. Travel time is calculated into that time. You also must report to me before you leave.” 

“Sir?” Jooheon raises his hand. “Isn’t this a bit much?” 

Yongguk gets close and leans into Jooheon’s face. “We have lost three members in the matter of weeks. From now on, everyone will be accounted for. I’m done with the back turning.” 

Everyone nods understandable, Youngjae looking over to Kihyun, who is looking down at the assignment. 

“Now, everyone. Respectively get out of my sight.”


	7. Cruel Memory

“You’re awfully quiet there, brother.” Himchan says to Jongup, who sits across from him in their booth.

Jongup looks up at him and smiles. He takes a napkin from the table and begins to write on it. Himchan raises an eyebrow but goes with it. Jongup slides the note over.

_Minhyuk bugged me. Be careful what you say._

Himchan laughs and sits forward, crumpling the napkin. “That’s just great. What’s he know?”

“Everything.” Jongup replies quietly.

“Even about 10-04?”

Jongup nods and sighs. “Everything.”

Youngjae sits across from Kihyun, both studying their next assignment. Kihyun looks up and sets his folder down. He takes his phone out and checks the time. Youngjae does the same, not noticing he is mimicking Kihyun. He puts his phone down and closes his folder, after signing it.

“Want to go visit Daehyun?” Kihyun asks in a low tone. “I need to talk to him.”

Youngjae shrugs and they stand up, walking out to Youngjae’s car. They speed off towards the hospital, making casual small talk about their assignment. Kihyun gets out first when the car is parked, walking up the stairs. Youngjae sighs and quickly follows behind him. They reach the elevator at the same time, awkwardly pressing the button. Kihyun seems to push forward, into the elevator and out towards the room. Daehyun looks up from his book and greets the two. Kihyun pulls a chair up as Youngjae sits on the other bed.

“It’s odd seeing you two together.” Daehyun says.

“He’s my partner, now.” Kihyun replies, looking back to Youngjae.

“Wait, why? What happened to I.M?” The two quietly stare at Daehyun. His eye widen and he puts his head in his hands. “Okay. Hold on. What happened? You guys know I don’t hear anything, right?”

“Long story short, he set me up, Boss shot him in the head.” Youngjae says, keeping his head down.

“So anyway. I was thinking. If I get enough recruits, maybe I would take back control of FGHTR.” Kihyun leans down. Daehyun and Youngjae stare at him. “Since Shownu is gone-“

“Wait. Shownu too?”

“Yup.” Kihyun shrugs. “But since he’s gone, that clan is mine, now.”

Youngjae gives Kihyun a weird look, behind his back. He stands up and walks up to Daehyun’s bed. “You want to leave Rose Clan? Why?”

“This clan is a hell hole of back stabbing. I’m not going to die because someone can’t keep their head on straight.”

“I guess, I’ll think about it.” Daehyun says after clearing his throat. “I just don’t want to be seen as a traitor.”

Hyungwon walks down the sidewalk of the bridge. He leans on the railing and looks out to the water. His head lowers as he thinks back to the day he met Yongguk. He wraps his hands around the cold bar and squeezes until his knuckles turn white.

“SIX was taken down, Beauty is being forced to disband. I’m sorry.” Himchan spoke to Hyungwon on the phone.

“What will I do? Where will I go?” Hyungwon paces around his living room.

“You’ll have to figure that out. I’m sorry brother.”

Himchan hung up and Hyungwon threw his phone against the wall in anger. It shattered and the pieces flew everywhere. Hyungwon grabbed his coat and stormed out of this home. He walked down the bridge and sat on the ledge. Before he jumped, he felt a hand pull him back to the concrete. Yongguk stood above him, frowning.

“SIX wasn’t there for you, anyway.” Yongguk said, picking Hyungwon up and taking him to his car. “Beauty was just a way for SIX to gain more money.”

“Was it the 10-04 that did it?” Hyungwon stared out the window of the car.

“10-04 was destroyed a week ago. Their last known member is now with us.”

“Who are you?”

“Sake Clan. Basically a melting pot of people thrown out into the world when they weren’t ready. SIX member Himchan has been training under me for a month.”

“He was basically my partner. So you knew SIX was going to be taken down?”

“We are an intelligent clan.”

Hyungwon turns around and walks down the road, closing his jacket. As he walks, a car pulls over in a embankment at the edge of the bridge. Yongguk crawls out of the front seat and smiles. Hyungwon bows to him and walks to the car.

“How many times am I gonna find you on this bridge?” Yongguk asks, wrapping his arm around Hyungwon’s shoulders.

“SIX destroyed Beauty didn’t they?” Hyungwon replies.

“Beauty had to disband after SIX was destroyed by Sake. Without SIX, Beauty would have crumbled anyway.” The two get in the car. “Don’t worry about the past. You’re here now and that’s all that matters.”

“Before Rose Clan, all I knew was Beauty. Now, it just seems like a cruel memory.”

Yongguk begins to drive off. “Let’s just go home.”

Hyungwon stares out the window as they pass his old apartment. “I don’t even know what home is anymore.” He looks up, into the rear view mirror and sees something odd. “What are you doing at the bridge anyway?”

“I have to get rid of a few things.” He turns down the road leading to the river.

Minhyuk plays with a small box of matches. He takes a match out and flips it around his fingers. Jongup watches him from across the table, sipping his drink every few minutes. His eyes never leave Minhyuk’s hands as he places the match back in its box. He looks up at Jongup and smiles. Jongup awkwardly stares at him, making his leg shake. Minhyuk takes the match back out and lights it, holding it up to Jongup’s face. Jongup holds his breath as Minhyuk drops the match onto his lap. He tries to grab it, pulling his legs apart, hoping it would drop to the floor. A hole burns in his pants and he throws his body out of the chair. Minhyuk just looks at him with a blank expression.

“Are you fucking crazy?” Jongup yells, pulling his gun out and pointing it at Minhyuk.

“Did you ever doubt I wasn’t?” Minhyuk smiles.

He gets up and walks out towards his room, everyone watching him leave. Jongup growls and follows him towards the dorm. Wonho shrugs and continues his paperwork. Jooheon takes a pen from his pocket and opens his assignment folder. He raises his eyebrow but continues to quietly read. His eyes widen and he looks up at Wonho who is deep in his papers. Jooheon’s eyes lower back down as he signs the document, closing it and getting up. Wonho finally loses focus and looks up to him as he walks outside. Jooheon tucks his folder under his arm and reaches in his pocket for a pack of cigarettes. As he lights it, Wonho walks around and does the same. They silently smoke, Jooheon clears his throat and stares out to the road.

“Hey. Why did you ever leave Shin?” Jooheon asks quietly.

“Why did you leave STUCK?” Wonho asks in return.

“My father was killed and his last request was to tear the clan down. So after we buried him, we all went our separate ways. My mother was kidnapped and my sisters ended up at the bottom of the river. Boss somehow found me right before I starved to death.”

“I was thrown out.”

“You got kicked out of your family clan?”

Wonho throws his back against the wall heavily, taking a long drag from his cigarette. “I stole a shit ton of our money. But it’s not what you think. My brother was taken by i.m and they demanded $100,000 to get him back. I got it for them and my brother was shot in front of me and his wife. My father blamed it all on me and I was thrown onto the street. Fun fact, we pulled the name ‘Shin’ out of our asses. Something to throw off enemies looking for the Lee family.” He laughs. “But apparently I was the enemy all along.”

“Is that how Jongup came up with that bullshit? About you stealing Rose Clan money?”

“Huh, I guess. I think I’m gonna go visit Daehyun. Good luck with your assignment, brother.”

Wonho takes one more drag of his cigarette before throwing it on the ground. He turns and walks back into the building, leaving Jooheon alone. Jooheon takes the folder and opens it again. His finger moves over the text and over his signature.

New target: Shin Clan

Accepted by: Lee Jooheon

Minhyuk leans his back against the wall while sitting on his bed. He smiles at Jongup, who sits in the bed opposite his. Jongup sits forward and Minhyuk straightens himself.

“For someone who never came from a clan, you sure act like you have.” Jongup tries to laugh.

“I survived on my own. Sure, Yongguk helped me sometimes but I was mostly alone. After my family was taken from me.” Minhyuk says as his lip twitches. “Don’t let the kid see you, Jong. Get the money and go.” Minhyuk stands up and walks in front of Jongup. “Does that sound familiar to you? Ah but you never got found the money. You were too god damn busy with killing my family!” He yells, poking Jongup’s shoulder.

Jongup swallows hard but smirks. “You bugged me because I was ordered to kill someone. It just so happened to be your family. How the hell would I know we would become partners?”

“How would you have known you’d be working with Himchan? The man that killed your precious, cheating, handful of a wife.”

“She never cheated on me.”

“How do you think Himchan knew her?”

Jongup’s face begins to redden as his body shakes. He lets out a yell and grabs Minhyuk by the throat. Minhyuk lets him attack, as he stays completely emotionless. Jongup pushes him against the door hard enough to dent it. He lets go and tries to calm himself, stepping back from Minhyuk. His shoulders drop as he walks out of the room. Minhyuk smiles and sits back down on his bed, picking a book up from the nightstand.

Yongguk looks up from his laptop when he hears the door open. Jooheon walks in with his folder flipped open.

“Yes, Jooheon, you have to do it.” Yongguk says before Jooheon can speak.

“Oh- Yes sir.” Jooheon closes the folder. “But this is Wonho’s family.”

“What kind of family casts their own onto the street? Plus, they have been planning an attack on Rose Clan for a month.” He moves his laptop to the side. “You are the only one I trust to do this mission.”

Jooheon sets the folder down. “I guess I’m flattered.”

“Good. Because-“ He looks at the papers. “-you already accepted.”

Jooheon puts his head down and plays with his sleeve. He slowly walks out, going down towards the parking garage. His feet drag across the concrete as he finds where he parked. He stops when he sees a dark reddish brown spot, slowly realizing that it is still blood from Zelo’s death. Jooheon jumps back and rushes over to his car, getting in. He sits for a few minutes in silence before something makes him jump back. Wonho crawls into the passenger’s seat and smiles.

“Alright, let’s do this.” Wonho says, putting his seatbelt on.

“Wonho, I really don’t think you want to tag along with this mission.” Jooheon tries to change his mind.

“Boss said to ride with you. Come on. I haven’t been on a mission since I got out of the hospital.”

Jooheon awkwardly starts his car and drives out of the garage. He hesitates to pull out onto the street, unsure where exactly he’s going still. His hands grip the steering wheel right, afraid of what Wonho will do when he sees the target. Wonho stares out the window as if he’s deep in thought. Jooheon sees him smile to himself a few times after passing certain buildings.

Kihyun sits at the edge of the hospital bed as Daehyun changes into his normal clothes. He walks out of the bathroom slowly, making sure not to touch his wounds too much. Kihyun gestures for him to sit down, as he crawls back on top of the bed. The two wait for a nurse to come in to give them any updates.

“How long does it take to be discharged?” Daehyun asks, getting impatient.

“No idea.” Kihyun replies, swinging one foot off the bed.

“Right, you just heal like a super mutant.”

“That’s not true. I still can’t walk right and my shoulder is practically shattered.” Kihyun pauses. “Have you thought more about FGHTR?”

“I just don’t think I can leave Rose Clan. Boss saved me from getting killed by m/o/c/h/i, ironically Zelo’s clan. His older brother was fucking crazy.” Daehyun clears his throat. “Anyway, I can’t leave this behind. This clan is my life. And after what FGHTR and Shownu did to you and the clan, I’m surprised you want all that back.”

“Shownu was the problem with the clan. He was psychotic and controlling. He insisted he ‘let me join’ when I technically formed it. He was a joke of a leader. And all that alchemy bullshit? Yup he learned from me. Poison has always been my specialty. And now what do I do? My fucking dog tag say ‘Assassin’, we are all assassins. Look, I don’t want to betray boss, but how everyone has been acting lately, I don’t want to risk it. FGHTR is coming back.”

“Kihyun-” The two are interrupted by the nurse bringing Daehyun’s discharge papers. Daehyun stands up and thanks her as they all walk out. “We aren’t done talking about this. I think I’m interested.”

Daehyun presses the button on the elevator and walks in, Kihyun following behind. They quietly ride to the bar. When Daehyun walks in, he is surprised to see everyone there to welcome him back. He smiles, looking around at the dollar store decorations spread around the room. Yongguk walks up to him, holding a drink. He wraps his arm around Daehyun’s shoulder and offers the drink.

“Welcome back, brother.” Yongguk smiles.


	8. The Worst Is Yet To Come

Wonho steps out of the car and looks up at the building in front of him. He turns to Jooheon and smiles. Jooheon watches as Wonho confidently walks towards the door. He runs behind him and grabs his arm. 

“You know exactly where we are don’t you?” Jooheon asks, mildly shocked. 

“Of course. I knew from the beginning.” Wonho laughs. “They’ve had this coming for a long time.” 

He pushes the door open after adjusting his vest. Jooheon walks behind him, carefully watching for people. Wonho looks over to a small room but doesn’t go in, pulling Jooheon beside him. He gestured for him to be quiet as he rounds the corner. Wonho holds his gun up to the man sitting at a desk. The man’s eyes widen as he sees Wonho. 

“Son?” The man begins to stand.

“Stay down.” Wonho steps forward. 

“You don’t have to do this. I didn’t want to kick you out.” 

“You really think you’re going to talk your way out of this? You were my father.” 

“I still am-“ 

“No you’re not!” Wonho leans over the desk and pushes the gun into his father’s chest. 

Kihyun sits in the lounge with his feet up on the table. He places a cigarette in his mouth and lights it, taking a very long drag. His head pops up when the door opens. Yongguk walks in and over to Kihyun, pushing his feet off the table. He sits beside him, pulling out a chocolate bar from his pocket. Kihyun looks up and stares, looking away when Yongguk sees him. Yongguk sighs and breaks a piece off the bar and hands it to Kihyun. He happily takes it and shoves it in his mouth. Yongguk scoffs to cover his laugh. Kihyun watches him from behind his phone, jumping when the cherry falls off his cigarette and onto his lap. He curses as it falls to the floor and he stomps it out. 

“If you burn one more carpet, I’m probably gonna have to shoot you.” Yongguk says, taking a bite of his candy.

“Yes, sir.” Kihyun replies in a sarcastic tone. 

Daehyun stands in the middle of the bar, staring at all the decorations. He smiles as he has never gotten this much love and attention in his life. Yongguk and Kihyun walk him over to a table and they all sit down. Youngjae comes over with a drink in his hand, sitting next to Kihyun. The two start to make small talk but are interrupted by Daehyun clearing his throat. The three look up to him as he laughs. A streamer has fallen onto his head and over his face. 

Yongguk stands up and goes over to him. Instead of taking the streamer off, he wraps it around Daehyun’s head more. Daehyun throws his hands up and grabs wildly, accidentally poking himself in the eye. They all laugh and Daehyun growls at them. Youngjae downs the rest of his drink and stands up. He asks if anyone wants a drink but everyone tells him no. Daehyun, however, stands up and walks with him. He leans closer towards Youngjae, who quickly pulls him to the corner. 

“Do not join FGHTR.” Youngjae whispers. “Something seems off about Kihyun lately.” 

“Seems like everyone’s acting weird. Even boss.” Daehyun says, looking over his shoulder slightly. Kihyun and Yongguk are both staring over at them. “Maybe we’ll talk later.” 

They pour their drinks and walk back to the table. For the next hour, Kihyun and Youngjae pick at the same piece of cake. Daehyun watches Yongguk play on his phone while flipping his lighter in between his fingers. He stands up and everyone turns to look at him. 

“It’s getting late, I should probably head to bed. Don’t let that stop the party.” Daehyun tells them before quickly walking to his room. 

He holds his head as it pulses, grabbing for his medication. His hands fumble with the cap but he eventually gets it open. Hyungwon walks in clutching his stomach but acting like everything’s fine. Daehyun questions him as he flops down on his bed. 

“Don’t drink with an open stomach wound.” Hyungwon laughs out before wincing in pain.

Daehyun laughs and sits next to Hyungwon “I feel you. I don’t even know how many bullet wounds I have.” 

“I’m surprised you have any body left to you.” He pushes his sleeve up, accidentally revealing some tattoo. 

“What’s that?” Daehyun questions, pointing at the ink. “Did you get a tattoo?” 

Hyungwon awkwardly pulls his sleeve back down but Daehyun grabs his wrist. “It’s nothing. I’ve always had it.” 

“That’s bullshit, I’ve seen your arms.” Daehyun stares confused, pushing his sleeve up. “Isn’t this Beauty’s logo?” 

Hyungwon pulls away and stands up. “Okay, look. Don’t tell anyone but Beauty is coming back and-”

“You’re seriously going back to Beauty? What about us? Why is everyone leaving so suddenly?” 

“Daehyun, there’s a lot you don’t know about. Boss has a lot of secrets and all of us should be extremely afraid of him. He’s also the one that reorganized Beauty.” 

Yongguk stares at Hyungwon as they sit on the trunk of the car. Hyungwon looks over on the ground, emotionless. Shownu and Changkyun stand up, wiping their clothes off. They bow to Yongguk and he throws a pack of cigarettes at Changkyun. He gets one out and lights it with the zippo from his pocket. 

“I-I don’t understand.” Hyungwon finally speaks. 

“Go back to Beauty and don’t tell anyone about this. I’m going to destroy Rose Clan.” Yongguk replies in monotone. 

Changkyun wipes away the fake blood from his face as Shownu unhooks his bulletproof vest. Shownu groans and stretches his neck out. He walks to Hyungwon and pats him on the back. Hyungwon is surprised when Shownu grabs his neck and pulls him on the ground. He fights back as Shownu holds onto his throat, kicking his feet around his legs. Hyungwon pushes on Shownu’s chest and face but to no avail. 

“That’s enough.” Yongguk tells Shownu after taking a long drag of his cigarette.

“Yes, boss.” Shownu stands up. 

“What the fuck was that for?” Hyungwon stands up and pushes Shownu back. 

Shownu laughs and gets into the backseat of Yongguk’s car. Hyungwon glares back at Yongguk, who is smiling to himself. He stands up and gestures for everyone else to get into the car. The two follow him, Hyungwon sliding his feet to the passenger’s seat. 

Minhyuk and Jongup walk down the stairs of a park, towards the river. They walk across the street to a small convenience store to buy some snacks. Jongup takes a bag of chips off of the shelf and opens it, taking a chip out before placing them on the counter. The clerk rings in all of their foods and Minhyuk pays for it all. The two walk out and sit at a nearby picnic table. Minhyuk pulls the lid off of his ramen and stirs it before pushing the lid back down. Jongup picks at a snack cake. He clears his throat and look up to Minhyuk. 

“Isn’t it nice to do normal things?” Jongup asks him, almost nervously. 

“I haven’t eaten ramen is years. I’m more of a pizza person.” Minhyuk replies after burning his lip off a noodle.

“I get you. I’m a hamburger person.” He sits forward. “But this is still nice.” 

Minhyuk sniffles and sets the bowl down. Jongup watches him shift to the side and take his gun from his holster. 

“Calm down, it was cutting into my hip.” Minhyuk places it heavily on the bench between his legs. He picks his food back up and begins eating. “Don’t get me wrong, brother. I still regret not killing you but this, right now, is nice. We can actually relax.” 

Jongup bites at the skin on his lip and shakes his head. “I regret you not killing me.” 

“Want me to fix that?” 

They both laugh and go back to eating. Jongup stuffs the wrapper to his snack cake into his pocket and picks up a corn dog he had laying to the side. 

Daehyun stands outside Yongguk’s office, staring at the display case in the hallway. His hand rests against the glass, looking down to Zelo’s dog tag then up to a picture of what looks like Yongguk from a few years before. Daehyun jumps when Yongguk walks around the corner and towards his office, stopping to say hello to Daehyun. He smiles when Daehyun walks in behind him, turning around just as he reaches the doorway. Daehyun sits down in a chair as Yongguk walks around to his desk, taking his coat off and hanging it on a hook. He looks over to Daehyun and smiles again. 

“Feel nice to be back?” Yongguk asks, propping his feet up on the safe. 

“Boss. I trust you to tell me the truth whenever I ask you something, right?” Daehyun plays with his fingernails. 

“Of course, why would I lie to you?” 

“What are you doing to us?” He sighs. “Why is Hyungwon afraid of you? Why is Kihyun acting strange? Why are you acting strange? What is this?” Should I even trust you not to kill us all in our sleep?” 

“I said I would be honest with you, Daehyun. I’m not doing anything. I’m standing to the side while all of you destroy yourselves and each other. As for those leaving the clan, I’m trying to save them so they can live the lives they deserve.” 

Daehyun stares silently, unable to find the right words to say. He shakes his head and walks out, slamming the door behind him. Yongguk chuckles to himself and sighs as he opens the safe. He pulls out a stack of hundreds and sets it on the table beside Jooheon’s mission folder. His hand rests on top of the folder as he plays with the corner of it. 

Jooheon slowly walks behind Wonho, keeping his gun ready by his side. Wonho never takes his eyes off of his father, smirking as he places his finger over the trigger. There’s a loud gunshot and everyone flinches. Wonho gasps and drops his gun to the ground before falling to his knees. Jooheon lowers his gun as he watches the blood pour from Wonho’s shoulder. The man takes a step back and stares at his son. He looks up to Jooheon as another shot rings through the room. The man falls against the wall, sliding down to see Wonho throw his gun to the side. Wonho groans and he slowly turns on his back towards Jooheon. He tries to grab his gun again but Jooheon leans down and takes it from him. Tears form in both of their eyes. 

“I’m sorry, brother.” Jooheon whispers. “I’m just following orders.” 

“You’re so loyal, Jooheon.” Wonho replies, thrusting something forward into Jooheon’s stomach. 

Jooheon gasps and looks down to the dagger sticking out from his abdomen. He coughs as Wonho forcefully removes it, throwing it to the side. Wonho shakes as he pushes Jooheon off and crawls to the desk to pick himself up. He wobbles as he spits out blood, slowly walking out. Jooheon holds his wound as he starts to shake from blood loss. He quickly gets his phone from his pocket and calls Yongguk. 

“Mission failed. I’m hurt really badly and Wonho is injured but on his way to you.” Jooheon tells him before feeling more blood creep up his throat. “I don’t want to die. Please help me.” 

Yongguk jumps up from his chair and grabs his keys. “Hang in there, I’m on my way.” 

Youngjae looks over his shoulder as he walks into the warehouse. He walks up a staircase to the second floor, careful not to fall. His foot trips over the top stair, making him stumble into a crate. He straightens himself and continues walking to the corner. There is a tent set up and a faint light shines through the wall of it. Youngjae leans down to the zipper and waves his hands. He sees a figure look over and wave back as they go to unzip the tent. 

“So this is m/o/c/h/i?” Youngjae laughs as he crawls inside. 

“It's the best I could do for now. So, any news from Rose Clan?” Zelo replies quietly, just incase someone else is there. 

“Hyungwon is going back to Beauty, Kihyun was successful in the reorganization of FGHTR. Yongguk is on his way to Jooheon.” 

“Follow Yongguk. Make sure if you see Wonho, to tell him to come see me.” 

“Yes, boss.” 

Zelo smirks as Youngjae gets up to follow his orders. He watches as he slowly walks down the stairs, making sure not to trip this time. Youngjae lights a cigarette as he walks to his car. He sits with his hands around the steering wheel for a few minutes before finally starting his car and driving off. His mind wanders, making him swerve slightly. He sighs as he pulls to the side of the road, grabbing at his hair. 

Changkyun and Youngjae sat at the table, Changkyun flipping through a magazine he found on the table. 

“Yongguk wants to stage Zelo’s death so he can quietly go back to m/o/c/h/i. We’ll make it look like an accident. Shownu knows as well so don’t be alarmed if he shows up. If you have anymore questions you can ask Zelo about it.” Changkyun says, never looking away from the magazine. 

“This is absolutely ridiculous but I can’t really fight against it.” Youngjae replies, shrugging. “But once all is said and done, I’ll probably have to join his clan and things will hopefully calm down.” 

“We will be doing this tonight so be prepared. I believe in you, brother.” 

Yongguk slowly walks up to the door of the Shin Clan warehouse. He holds his gun out as he rushes in, looking around for Jooheon. There is faint coughing and moaning coming from down the hall. He runs over, slightly relieved to find Jooheon in the first room. Jooheon holds onto the wound on his stomach and shakes. He cries out as Yongguk falls down to him. 

“It hurts so much. Please, I’m not ready to die. I’m so scared.” Tears fall down Jooheon’s face. 

“Okay, stay calm. You’ll get through this. I’m going to put pressure on the wound. Are you ready?” Yongguk tries to stay calm, himself. 

Jooheon nods but screams out when Yongguk pushes down on his stomach. He feels his head tighten from crying so hard as his muscles begin to twitch. His body begins to numb but he refuses to give up. He grabs Yongguk’s shirt and tries to pull himself into his chest. Yongguk goes to wrap his arms around Jooheon but is surprised when he’s thrown back. He tries to break free but the person is stronger than him. Youngjae picks Yongguk up and throws him against the wall, handcuffing his hands behind his back. Yongguk struggles as he drops back down to Jooheon. He looks up to Youngjae who is staring down to Jooheon, as he is quickly losing color in his face. 

“Don’t do this. He doesn’t deserve to die like this.” Yongguk pleads, trying to keep his tears from falling. 

Youngjae smirks and leans down. “Sorry, I’m just following my boss’ orders.” He pats Yongguk in the shoulder.

“Youngjae, please. I’m begging you. Let me live.” Jooheon whimpers. 

“I’d rather not get thrown out of another clan.” He turns to Yongguk. “Boss is very insistent on this mission being successful.” 

Youngjae grabs Yongguk by the collar and pulls him up. He stumbles to his feet and yells as Youngjae forces him out of the room. They hear Jooheon yelling out, stopping every few seconds to cough violently. Jooheon lays his head on the ground and closes his eyes, feeling the shaking stop and his body get heavy. He sighs deeply and lets go of everything. Yongguk screams out one more time after hearing silence, being stopped by Youngjae hitting him in the back. He is thrown in the back seat of Youngjae’s car but he doesn’t stop struggling to break free. Youngjae drives off towards the bar, looking for Wonho on his way. 

Wonho stumbles down the road, pulling his vest off and throwing it on the ground. He takes his phone out to check the time. The screen is cracked but he doesn’t care as he tries to dial a number. His hands shake too much so he gives up. He stops when he sees headlights pull in front of him. Youngjae gets out of the car, running over to Wonho and pushing him over to the passenger’s seat. Wonho doesn’t fight, mainly from being too injured. He is surprised when Yongguk throws himself up and starts yelling at him. 

“You fucking piece of shit! You killed the last goddamn person I cared about. He didn’t deserve to die, especially not by garbage like you.” Yongguk spits out with a few hard breaths in between. 

“He attacked me. I did what I needed to do to survive.” Wonho says then turns to Youngjae. “What do you want?” 

“Zelo wants to speak with you.” Youngjae replies in monotone. 

“So you’re going to kill me?” 

Youngjae laughs. “Oh that’s right, you don’t know. Sorry, I forgot. He never died, it was all faked so he could go back to his old clan.” He turns down the road towards the warehouse. 

Youngjae pulls up to the building and gestures for Wonho to get out of the car. He slowly opens the door, groaning when Youngjae pushes on his shoulder to hurry up. As soon as he closes the door, Youngjae drives over to a building beside the warehouse. Wonho watches him before he finally walks inside. He looks around the first floor but doesn’t see anything. 

Zelo looks up from the book he was reading when he hears a noise from the bottom floor. He gets out of the tent and walks to the railing. 

“Good to see you again, brother!” Zelo yells down. 

Wonho looks up quickly. “What the hell?” He starts to walk up the stairs. “Really need to be dramatic and stage your death instead of just leaving?” 

“If I left normally, I’d risk being seen as a traitor, like Kihyun will.” Zelo meets him at the top step. “Besides, it was fun being dead. Listening to everyone cry over me. Kinda sad, though. I didn’t know you guys actually cared about me.” 

“Was anything that’s happened recently real?” 

“Well, you killing Jooheon was very real.” He watches Wonho wince in pain. “Oh, I’m gonna go ahead and guess that gunshot wound to your shoulder is very real.” 

“What the fuck do you want?” 

“God, you’re hostile-” 

“I’ve been fucking shot! Of course I am.” 

“Fair enough. Well, since the Shin Clan has been destroyed, I just want to know if you wanted to join my clan?” 

“And what would I get out of it?” 

Youngjae punches Yongguk hard in the face making him fall against the wall. He pulls him back up and hits him again. Blood drips from his eyebrow and the bridge of his nose has a cut across it. Yongguk doesn’t try to fight back, accepting every blow to the face. After the fifth time, Yongguk stays on the ground, staring at the ground. Youngjae sits down beside him and sighs, rubbing his knuckles. 

“You know, I thought of you like a real brother. You took me in and fed me, took care of me. Taught me valuable life lessons.” Youngjae frowns. “But 4 years later, you decided you didn’t like the responsibility so you started slowly kicking us all to the curb.” 

“Or my dreams didn’t work out the way I wanted them to. It’s safer for you to leave than to stay and watch us all burn.” Yongguk replies, spitting blood onto the floor. 

Youngjae stands up and stares down at Yongguk. “The amount of secrets you have is astounding, though. Almost nothing makes sense anymore.” He begins to wave his gun around. “The things I’ve had to do for you and my brothers, just ridiculous.” 

Yongguk goes to reply but is interrupted by the door being opened. Youngjae doesn’t notice the person slowly walking in behind him. Before Youngjae can say anything, three gunshots ring through the air. Youngjae’s body flies forward dramatically, falling into Yongguk. Yongguk looks up after seeing all the shots to Youngjae’s back. He sees Changkyun place his gun back in his holster as he slowly walks to the two. Youngjae tries to get up, failing and lodging one bullet deeper into his lung. He spits out blood and laughs before his head slumps down into Yongguk’s chest. Changkyun reaches into his pocket and finds the key to the handcuffs, taking them off of Yongguk. 

“Clean yourself up a bit before our talk with Zelo.” Changkyun throws him a rag from one of the shelves. “And make sure Youngjae’s body comes with us.” 

Yongguk takes the cloth. “Yes, boss.”


	9. The Final Chapter

Zelo seethes as Changkyun drops Youngjae’s body at his feet. His eyes scan the bullet holes in the back of his jacket. Yongguk stands to the side of Changkyun with his arms crossed. He watches and Zelo leans down to Youngjae. He rolls Youngjae over, placing his hand over his cheek. Tears form in his eyes as he jumps up, screaming and pulling his gun out. Changkyun watches him with an eyebrow raised. Zelo shakes as he walks over to the two until the gun is against Yongguk’s chest. He quickly points the gun at Changkyun as Wonho jumps and grabs Yongguk, pulling him back. 

Yongguk growls as he digs his nails into Wonho’s arms. Wonho kicks him in the leg, forcing him on the ground. Changkyun continues to stand, emotionless. Zelo shakes his head and cocks the gun. 

“We were supposed to be partners.” Zelo sneers. “What happened to you watch my back I’ll watch yours?” 

“That was before you let Jooheon die.” Changkyun replies, pushing the gun from his chest. 

“He was going to die anyway. Saved Yongguk the grief of watching him bleed out.” 

“Did you tell your pet Wonho to stab him?” 

Wonho rolls his eyes as he holds onto Yongguk’s throat. “I killed him because it was his mission to kill me.” He pulls Yongguk’s head up. “Too bad he was a shit shot.” 

Changkyun turns around to look at Yongguk. He slowly walks over to him and grabs him by the hair. Wonho lets go and steps back, staying ready to jump again. Yongguk winces as Changkyun drags him towards the door, pushing it open with his body. As the door closes, Wonho walks over to Zelo and pats him on the shoulder. 

“Well, that was fun. Sure, I’ll join you.” Wonho says before lighting a cigarette. 

“Then, let’s get you fixed up before they come back.” Zelo glares at the door. 

Himchan lays his head on the table and stares at the wall. Jongup and Minhyuk walk into the the bar, stopping to check on him. He sits up slowly and pulls his hoodie from his head. His hair is shorter and messy. 

“Did you cut your hair?” Jongup questions. 

“Jongup, I think you and I need to have a much needed conversation.” Himchan ignores as he stands up. 

He wobbles as the alcohol hits his body. Jongup holds him up by his shoulder and walks him to the dorms. Minhyuk shrugs it off and sits at the poker table, grabbing the cards to play solitaire. Daehyun bumps past Jongup and Himchan as he goes into the bar. He sees Minhyuk and walks over to the table. When we reaches, the door bursts open. Five men in mask rush in, grabbing the two. Minhyuk yells out, trying to grab for his gun. The man lets him go but stabs him in the stomach before stabbing him in the shoulder. Daehyun tries to run towards the dorm, getting grabbed just as he reaches the door. The man holds the knife to his throat but he keeps pushing him back. Eventually, he loses strength and the man slices his throat open. He drops to the ground, holding his neck to try to stop the bleeding. 

Before the two black out, they see someone else walk in. Kihyun walks up to Minhyuk and takes his mask off. He smirks and pats Minhyuk on the back as he slowly slides down the wall, spilling blood from his mouth. Kihyun goes to Daehyun, who is choking on his own blood. Daehyun weakly grabs for his gun but Kihyun grabs it from him. He takes out a card with the FGHTR logo on it and slides it into Daehyun’s pocket. As he stands up, the men gather around him. He smiles and walks towards the dorm. Minhyuk slowly crawls to Daehyun, placing his shaking hand over his cheek. His mouth twitches as he starts to cry. Daehyun is already beginning to become cold. Minhyuk breathes hard, forcing a cough. He screams out in pain and sobs before his head falls back into the table behind him. 

Jongup leads Himchan into his room, closing and locking the door behind him. Himchan grabs his head and walks to the other side of the room. He paces as tears form in his eyes. Jongup awkwardly questions him. 

“I ruined your life.” Himchan whispers. “I’m so sorry, Jongup. She didn’t want to do it. I scared her too much. It was an accident. I was just so angry with 10-04. I didn’t even know you. Neither of you deserved this.” 

Before Jongup can respond, Himchan pulls his gun out. He places it to his temple and flinches at the coldness of the metal. As Jongup runs up to Himchan, he stops when the gun goes off. Himchan drops to the side, Jongup catching him before he hits the ground. His body is limp and blood rushes from his head. Jongup shakes and tries to look around for anything to help. He gets his phone out to call Yongguk. As the phone rings, he tries to stop the bleeding.

Yongguk look down as he’s struck in the face by Changkyun. He apologizes. Changkyun goes to hit him again but his phone goes off. He tells Yongguk to answer it. 

“Boss! Dear god, shit, I don’t know know what to do. Himchan!” Jongup screams into the phone. “Shit. He shot himself. Oh god.” He drops the phone but Yongguk can still hear him yelling. “Wake up!” 

“Jongup, if he’s dead, then he’s dead. Nothing to do about it.” Yongguk hopes he can hear him. 

“Fuck!” 

Yongguk hears a loud bang and glass breaking as well as people yelling. Changkyun takes the phone and hangs up, throwing it on the ground. He beckons for Yongguk to follow him as he walks towards his desk. Yongguk stands up, feeling his heart sink to his stomach. Changkyun sits at his desk and leans forward. 

“Sit. Now.” Changkyun demands. 

Yongguk quickly drops into a chair. “Yes, sir.” 

He chuckles and crosses his hands in front of him. “If I give you assignments, I expect you to not make any changes to them.” 

“I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.” 

“I know it won’t. I’ll be handling all the assignments from now on.” 

“But-“ He sighs. “Yes, sir.” 

Yongguk stands up and bows, grabbing his phone off the ground. He walks out, pulling his hoodie over his head. There are loud noises happening below him but he ignores as he walks to the elevator. He walks through the parking garage towards his car. There are footsteps behind him so he grabs his gun and holds it out. He relaxes as Shownu holds his hands out, walking towards Yongguk. 

“Hey calm down. It’s just me.” Shownu tells him, pushing the gun down.

“Sorry, I just feel like I have a huge target on my back.” Yongguk puts his gun back into its holster. 

“Have you been back to Rose Clan?” 

“Not yet, I was just on my way back. Why? Do you need a ride there?” 

Shownu nods, walking over to the passenger's side door. Yongguk gets in and starts the car, looking over at Shownu every few moments. He pulls into the garage but doesn’t get out. Shownu raises an eyebrow as Yongguk gets out and takes gun from the holster. He follows closely behind, still confused. Yongguk keeps his arm up in front of Shownu to keep him back. They can hear yelling coming above them. 

“You stay here. I’m going to go up there. When I was on the phone with Jongup, I heard glass breaking.” Yongguk tells Shownu. 

“Are you sure? What if you get attacked?” Shownu tries to push forward. 

“I’ll be fine. I have my vest on and this is my clan. If anyone wants to take me down, this is the place to do it.” 

Yongguk runs up the stairs, leaving Shownu to worry at the bottom. Shownu looks around anxiously, before slowly creeping up the stairs. He stops when he hears Yongguk yell out to someone. Something tells Shownu to go back down to the parking garage and back to the car. As soon as he reaches the car, the lights turn off. He grabs his phone from his pocket and turns the flashlight on. There are footsteps behind him but when he shines his light over, he’s surprised to see Hyungwon pointing a gun at him. 

“Fancy meeting you here, brother.” Hyungwon smiles. 

“What do you want?” Shownu bites at him. 

“Now that I’ve got you alone we can finally have some fun. Yongguk is upstairs dealing with FGHTR so don’t think he’ll be coming back down to help you any time soon.” 

“FGHTR is my clan.” 

“Sadly, no it’s not. It’s Kihyun’s clan. And I’d say he’s doing quite well for himself.” He pauses to walk closer. “Now, how about you and I take a walk outside?” 

Hyungwon doesn’t wait for an answer, grabbing Shownu by his arm and pulling him outside. He never loosens his grip as he pushes his back hard against the wall. Shownu grunts and wraps his hand tightly against Hyungwon’s throat. They struggle before Hyungwon finally hits Shownu hard with the butt of his gun. He winces in pain as he drops to the ground, holding his head. Hyungwon punches him hard in the jaw again and again. Shownu tries to use the wall to stand back up, sliding back down as Hyungwon pushes him. 

“I think we better go inside.” Hyungwon smirks, pulling Shownu by his collar. 

“Can you make up your mind on if we are going inside or out?” Shownu complains. 

Yongguk slowly creeps up the stairs towards the bar. He leans his ear against the door to see if he can hear anyone. There is a familiar voice that makes him immediately open the door. Kihyun looks up quickly as Yongguk rushes over to him. He looks down at Jongup, who is sitting in the chair in front of Kihyun. As Yongguk reaches them, the two nod and Kihyun smiles. 

Jongup stands up and shakes Yongguk’s hand. Yongguk laughs, looking around for anyone else. 

“And here I thought you were actually getting attacked.” Yongguk says through his laugh.

“Well, I did get punched in the face but that was warranted. Considering I killed two of your men.” Kihyun tries to hold his smirk.

Yongguk looks down under the table and notices the bodies of Daehyun and Minhyuk. “Oh, I didn’t even see them there. I’m not worried about them. They were way too loyal for their own good and wouldn’t leave this clan for another.” He leans down and inspects their wounds. “They were good kids, though. A shame.” 

“But unfortunately, the last member of SIX has officially passed.” Jongup says, putting his head down. “He had too many demons but I’m still not sure I should feel sad about it or not.” 

Wonho and Zelo sit inside the tent with paperwork thrown everywhere. They look through multiple folders trying to find information on Changkyun and Yongguk. Wonho gasps and jumps up excitedly as he finds something interesting. Zelo calms him down and shushes him. 

“You know how Yongguk said he wasn’t in a clan before Rose Clan?” Wonho asks, still excited.

“Yeah, it used to be Sake and he and his brother ran it.”He pauses as Wonho stares with a smile. “Is that wrong?”

“He did start out in Sake but he was actually kicked out for a while and guess which clan he partnered with until his brother let him back in.” 

“Seriously? Yongguk and Changkyun were partners?” 

Wonho slides the folder over and shows him the photo of the two in a meeting as well as their partner agreement. Zelo laughs at how perfect this information is for him. He smiles and pats Wonho on the shoulder before sending him to get food. Zelo gets his phone out and takes pictures of the files before quickly putting them away. He gets out of the tent to stretch his legs but runs to the railing when he hears yelling. Wonho is being pulled out by three men. Zelo quietly curses to himself as he looks for a place to sneak out. He climbs up to the rafters and carefully crawls to the window across from him. 

As he sticks his head out, he sees Wonho punch one of the men in the face. Zelo gets his gun out and aims it at the man walking to the driver’s side of a car. He shoots and the man drops down. The other men run behind the car and duck, pushing Wonho in front of them as a shield. Zelo curses and they quickly get inside the car and drive off. He climbs down, jumping as he gets lower to the ground. His car is parked behind the building. He runs to it as fast as possible, getting in and driving after them. 

Changkyun sits at his desk after shaking hands with the woman across from him. The woman checks her phone before smiling. 

“My men are in their way with my brother.” Wonho’s sister tells Changkyun. “It’ll be a shame losing both my brothers in such a short amount of time but at least my clan won’t be compromised for a long time.” 

“Don’t worry, since you’ve got i.m on your side, no one should mess with you. And if they do, they’ll have to deal with me.” Changkyun replies, smiling and looking over at her. “You’re too precious to lose.” 

The woman smirks and leans over the desk. Changkyun kisses her cheek before she begins to leave. She tells him she’ll call when the men are pulling up to the building. He nods as she closes the door. 

Hyungwon pushes Shownu to the door, keeping his eye on Shownu’s movement. He opens the door, forcing Shownu through. Everyone turns to look at them. Yongguk walks over and meets them halfway. He grabs Shownu’s face and pulls his forward. Shownu tries not to show pain as Yongguk’s nails dig into his cheek. Hyungwon takes the gun from Shownu’s holster, pulling the clip out. 

“Don’t think that because you’re alive right now that you aren’t a traitor.” Yongguk glares at Shownu.

Shownu pushes him off and walks away, over to Kihyun. Kihyun smirks as Shownu wraps his hand around his throat. He laughs before placing his gun to Shownu’s head. His finger rests heavily on the trigger. Hyungwon walks beside them but stares past, at the wall. The two watch him through the corner of their eyes but try to focus on each other. Jongup looks up to Hyungwon. He jumps as Hyungwon quickly lunges towards his stomach. Jongup doubles over and Hyungwon strikes the knife into his back. He falls to the floor, onto Minhyuk’s legs. Kihyun and Shownu don’t look away from each other as Hyungwon leans down to Jongup. He grabs Jongup by the back of the hair, pulling his head up. Jongup coughs and tries to stand but falls back down from the pain. Yongguk slowly walks over, sitting on the floor in front of him. He smiles and props him beside Minhyuk’s body. Jongup winces and grabs Yongguk’s wrist. 

He smiles and lets go, taking his dog tag off. Yongguk takes it and holds it in front of his face. Jongup leans on Minhyuk’s shoulder as his breaths get shallower. He closes his eyes and cleaned his throat. 

“Well, Minhyuk. You made me promise to be next to you in life and in death.” He looks up to Minhyuk’s blood stained face. “I always keep my promises” 

“You know, you’ve always talked too much” Hyungwon says, leaning down over his body. 

Hyungwon takes his gun out and places it under Jongup’s chin. He sighs as he pulls the trigger, standing up and walking over to the bar. Shownu watches as he pours himself a drink. His attention is barred when Yongguk wraps his arm around his neck. He pretends to choke him, laughing at his confusion. Yongguk walks to table that has a suitcase sitting on top. He opens it and pulls out a small bottle. Shownu watches as he pours it into a whiskey glass. 

Wonho struggle to break free but fails. The men drag him down the hall of the i.m headquarters to a small room. They force him to sit in a chair. After a few seconds the door across from Wonho opens. Changkyun slowly walks him with a woman wrapped around his arm. Wonho recognizes her and tries to stand up, being thrown down by the men again. The woman kisses Changkyun in the cheek before leaving. Changkyun slowly approaches Wonho, pulling a chair directly in front of him. Wonho seethes, seeing his sister watch from behind a window. 

“Whatever you want from me, you’re not gonna get it.” Wonho growls. “Especially, not with cheap tactics like dating my sister.” 

“We’ve actually been together for 6 years now. We plan on marrying after we take care of you.” Changkyun replies with a smirk. 

“Take care of how?” 

“You’ve proven that you can handle intense missions as well as environment changes. You also have a keen eye for information. Oh- and you’ve got some balls walking into to your family clan and killing your father.” 

“Where are you going with this?” 

“It’s not obvious that I want you to join my clan?” 

Wonho rolls his eyes. “I’m perfectly fine with my current situation. But thanks for the offer.” He tried to stand once more, getting annoyed as the men push him down again. 

“Well, if you change your mind or your leader dies, you know who to call.” 

“I wouldn’t want to work for a liar, kleptomaniac like you. I’m surprised you don’t have Yongguk tied to the desk. Did you send him out on a mission to get killed?” 

“You’ve mistaken me for another ex-Rose Clan member.” Changkyun pauses. “Whoever you are thinking about, they are most likely dead.” 

Yongguk slams the glass in the table. He sits down and pours another bottle of poison into the glass. Shownu watches him very closely. 

“Sit. Now.” Yongguk demands. 

Shownu doesn’t hesitate, silently rushing to the seat in front of Yongguk. Yongguk slides the glass over to him. 

“Drink it.” His voice chills the air. 

“I’m sorry what?” Shownu stares, shocked. “No!” 

“I am still your boss and this is an order. Drink it all.” 

Kihyun walks out of the bar and goes down to the parking garage. Hyungwon follows him, reaching his car at the same time. He nods to Kihyun before getting in and driving towards Beauty headquarters. Kihyun does the same. 

Zelo pulls into a parking lot across from i.m, rushing out and forgetting to close the door. He runs into the building, looking around for Wonho. His steps are light as he makes his way down a hallway. He stops when he hears voices. They are faint but he instantly recognizes one as Changkyun. He keeps his gun ready as he kicks the door down. Everyone’s heads snap over to him. A man to his right grabs him by the arms and holds him back. Changkyun laughs slowly walks over to him. 

“Ah, Zelo. Don’t think I haven’t fucked your sister too.” Changkyun attempts to anger him. 

“What the fuck do you want with Wonho?” Zelo spits out. 

“I want him to join me.”

“He’s loyal, he won’t leave m/o/c/h/i without a good reason.”

Wonho sighs and looks up to Zelo. “No. I’m sorry, Zelo.”   
Changkyun and the man hold Zelo back as he tries to break free. Wonho slowly stands to make his way over to them. His hands shake as he reaches Zelo. He takes a knife out and places it to Zelo’s throat. Zelo tries to pull his head back but Changkyun forces him to stay still. Tears form in Wonho’s eyes as his lip twitches. Zelo shakes, attempting to break free again. Wonho screams out, closing his eyes and slashing seemingly blindly. The men let go of Zelo and rush to Changkyun. He sway back and grabs his neck as blood begins to pour out. Wonho walks in front of him. 

“He’s right. I am loyal.” Wonho says, smiling. 

Wonho’s sister runs in, catching Changkyun as he falls to the ground. The men begin to charge after Wonho. Zelo gets his gun out and quickly shoots the man closest to Wonho. He elbows the man that tries to grab him from behind, turning and shooting him in the chest. Wonho adjusts the grip on the knife and stabs the other man in the back. He grabs the man by his jacket and punches him in the face. Zelo quickly slides behind the man and holds him by the arms. Wonho stabs him in the stomach. He drops to the ground and spits blood out before falling to his side. 

Wonho leans down to Changkyun while Zelo grabs Wonho’s sister. Changkyun chokes for air, weakly reaching for his gun. Wonho watches his lose strength. His head drops down and his body goes limp. Blood surrounds his body. Wonho’s sister cries loudly. Zelo lets her go and Wonho grabs her by the collar. 

“You’re a disgrace.” Wonho tells her, tossing her hard against the wall. 

Zelo begins to walk out but Wonho doesn’t. He continues to stare at his sister with hate in his eyes. She slowly falls to her knees and begs for Wonho to let her live. He scoffs before Zelo brings his gun up and shoots her in the head. Wonho flinches slightly but simply walks away. Zelo wraps his arm around Wonho’s shoulder as they make their way to Zelo’s car. 

Hyungwon walks down a flight of stairs towards a small door. Kihyun follows behind him, looking around carefully. The two go inside, Hyungwon locking the door behind them. There are monitors on the wall, watching the inside the Rose Clan bar as well as the warehouse. 

“You don’t have to worry about me spying on you.” Hyungwon tells Kihyun. “As long as you don’t try to play any tricks.” 

“I’m not one for tricks.” Kihyun says before checking his phone. He smiles. “Looks like i.m is Yongguk’s now. Congrats m/o/c/h/i boys.”

“Tell Zelo and Wonho to come here. Yongguk will look for them at the warehouse. Even if we can watch them, we are still too far to get there in time if something were to happen.” 

Shownu grips the glass tightly. He swallows hard before lifting it up to lips. Yongguk tips the glass upwards by the bottom so the liquid gets closer to Shownu’s mouth. Shownu tries to pull back but Yongguk quickly pulls him forward. He tells Shownu once more to drink it. Shownu slowly brings the poison into his mouth but doesn’t swallow it. Yongguk stands up, walking to Shownu and covering his mouth with his hand. He struggles to keep Shownu still but eventually he calms down. Shownu chokes slightly, forcing the poison down this throat. Yongguk lets go and Shownu drops to the floor, coughing wildly. 

His head spins as he attempts to crawl towards the door. He stumbles, falling to his side. Yongguk sits back down and watches his struggle. Shownu’s breathing becomes labored. His heart pounds as he gasps for air. Yongguk smiles and lights a cigarette, enjoying his personal show. Shownu’s body begins to shake as he throws up violently. Yongguk takes the glass and walks over to him, forcing him to drink more. He makes him finish the poison and sets the glass down. Shownu beings to seize as the poison completely takes over his body. He screams before coughing up blood. Yongguk takes a step back as Shownu finally falls limp. He waits to make sure he is actually dead before walking outside. 

Yongguk is taken aback by the bloody scene he walks into. Changkyun’s body lays awkwardly in a large pool of blood. His men and Wonho’s sister lay motionless around him. Yongguk sneers, leaving for the warehouse. He speeds but is stopped by a woman running into the road. She runs to the car and bangs on the window hysterically. He gets out and grabs her arms, forcing her to calm down. 

“Help me! He’s following me!” The woman yells, checking over her shoulder.

“Calm down. Who is following you?” Yongguk tries not to get annoyed. 

“I don’t know. I think it’s m/o/c/h/i. I didn’t know I was near their base and this man started chasing me. Please! He’s gonna find me!”

“Just get in. I’ll take you somewhere safe.” 

Yongguk growls to himself as he turns his car around and heads back to Rose Clan. Hyungwon lifts a microphone to his mouth, informing Zelo that Yongguk is leaving. Zelo and Wonho drive the opposite way, towards Beauty. Wonho reads the file on his lap about Yongguk’s past. Zelo pushes it down. 

“That stuff isn’t important anymore. We need to focus on getting to safety.” Zelo says, speeding up. 

Hyungwon greets the two as they walk into the main room. Kihyun shuts and locks the door. Wonho groans as he walks over a chair in the corner. The three look at him confused as he pulls his shirt over his head. They wince at his wounds. Wonho sees how red his stomach wound is. Zelo tells him to stand so he can look at his shoulder. Wonho makes a noise as Zelo touches the red spot around it. Hyungwon walks down the hall towards a small room. He rummages around for a first aid kid and some medicine. As he walks back, he hears a loud bang. He runs over and sees everyone ducking. Wonho sweats uncontrollably as he crawls to the next room. Zelo and Kihyun stay, telling Hyungwon to get down. He looks towards the door and sees a shadow of a person. 

He throws the kit to them and tells them to help Wonho. They quickly get to the next room, shutting the door. Wonho tries to cover his yells as Zelo applies alcohol to his stomach. The scab opens and begins to puss. Wonho holds his breath as a wave a pain forces him to double over. Zelo holds him up so he can clean the bullet wound. The hole has started to turn black and dark red. Zelo sets everything down and runs his hands through his hair. 

“Wonho, I don’t think we can fix this here. You have to go to the hospital.” Zelo tells him. 

“We can’t. I’ll get killed. Just- don’t worry about me. Go help Hyungwon. I’ll still be here when you’re done.” Wonho replies, fully aware of how severe his wounds are. 

Kihyun stands quickly, pulling Zelo up by his shirt. “Hyungwon needs our help. There’s nothing we can do about Wonho.” He looks to Wonho. “No offense.” 

Wonho shrugs, knowing he is telling the truth. The two brace themselves, getting their guns out. Kihyun throws the door open and they run out. Yongguk holds Hyungwon by the throat against the wall. Zelo jumps over to them and wraps his arm around Yongguk’s neck. Kihyun pulls Hyungwon back and assess any damage. Yongguk breaks free, turning and headbutting Zelo. He turns back and punches Hyungwon in the jaw. Hyungwon stumbles back slightly, annoyed by the strike. He gets his dagger out and points it at Yongguk. Kihyun places his gun to his head. Zelo does the same from behind. 

Wonho attempts to sit up again. He looks through the box of medications to find something to take the pain away. A small red bottle catches his eye. He takes it out and reads the label. They are cyanide capsules. He wonders why Hyungwon would have such pills in a medicine box, shrugging it off quickly. Although he sets them down, he finds himself picking them up again. He unscrews the cap and dumps one of the pills out into his palm. His heart skips a beat as he brings it to his lips. Without a second thought, he places it on his tongue. He swallows it with his saliva, propping himself against the wall. His body becomes heavy surprisingly quickly. He barely has time to prepare as the poison takes over, falling unconscious. 

Yongguk slowly grabs onto Kihyun’s wrist, moving his hand down to the gun. He smiles as he takes the clip out, making it fall to the floor. Zelo chuckles softly before pulling the trigger. Yongguk flies forward but Hyungwon steps to the side, watching him collapse. Zelo breathes heavily, wiping blood from his face. Kihyun throws his gun down and steps over Yongguk’s body. He stares at Zelo, whose mouth is twitching from anger. Zelo lets out a loud yell, throwing his gun hard against the wall opposite him. Hyungwon goes to the next room. The two follow him but stop when they see Wonho. Hyungwon leans down to him and picks up the bottle. He scoffs. 

“Yeah, there’s no coming back from that.” Hyungwon says, straightening himself. 

“Rest in peace, brother.” Zelo sighs, pulling the dog tag over Wonho’s neck. 

“What do we do now?” Kihyun questions. 

“What we have been doing, brother.” Hyungwon pauses. “Survive.”


End file.
